DINNER   ON   THE   WAY. — 
£*vtr  Btys  in  tlu  Mountains. 


THE    ROVER   BOYS 
IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 

OR 
A  HUNT  FOR  FUN  AND  FORTUNE 

BY 

ARTHUR  M.  WINFIELD 

(Edward  Stratemeyer) 

AUTHOR  OF  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL,  THE 

ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  OCEAN.  THE  PUTNAM 

HALL  SERIES.  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW    YORK 

'GROSSET    &    DUNLA? 
PUBLISHERS 


BOOKS  BY  ARTHUR  M.  WINFIELD 

(Edward  Stratemeyer) 


THE  FIRST  ROVER  BOYS  SERIES 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  OCEAN 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  JUNGLE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  OUT  WEST 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  CAMP 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  LAND  AND  SEA 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  RIVER 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  PLAINS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  SOUTHERN  WATERS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  FARM 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  TREASURE  ISLE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  DOWN  EAST 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  AIR 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  NEW  YORK 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  ALASKA 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  BUSINESS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 


THE  SECOND  ROVER  BOYS  SERIES 
THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLBY  HALL 


THE  PUTNAM  HALL  SERIES 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  CADETS 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  RIVALS 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  CHAMPIONS 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  REBELLION 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  ENCAMPMENT 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  MYSTERY 


I2mo.    Cloth.    Illustrated. 


GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  Publishers,  New  York 


COPYRIGHT,  1902,  BY 

THE  MERSHON  COMPANY 


The  Rover  Boys  in  the  Mountains 


INTRODUCTION. 

MY  DEAR  BOYS  :  "  The  Rover  Boys  in  the 
Mountains "  is  a  complete  story  in  itself,  but 
forms  the  sixth  volume  of  the  "  Rover  Boys 
Series  for  Young  Americans." 

This  series  of  books  for  wide-awake  American 
lads  was  begun  several  years  ago  with  the  publi 
cation  of  "  The  Rover  Boys  at  School."  At  that 
time  the  author  had  in  mind  to  write  not  more 
than  three  volumes,  relating  the  adventures  of 
Dick,  Tom,  and  Sam  Rover  at  Putnam  Hall,  "  On 
the  Ocean,"  and  "  In  the  Jungle,"  but  the  publi 
cation  of  these  books  immediately  called  for  a 
fourth,  "  The  Rover  Boys  Out  West,"  and  then 
a  fifth,  "  The  Rover  Boys  on  the  Great  Lakes." 
Still  my  young  friends  did  not  appear  to  be  satis 
fied,  and  so  I  now  present  to  them  this  sixth 
volume,  which  relates  the  stirring  adventures  of 
the  three  Rover  boys  in  the  Adirondacks,  whither 
they  had  gone  to  solve  the  mystery  of  a  certain 
brass-lined  money  casket  found  by  them  on  an 
island  in  Lake  Huron. 

In  writing  this  volume  I  have  had  a  double  pur- 
{»se  in  view ;  not  only  to  pen  a  tale  which  might 


INTRODUCTION. 

prove  pleasing  to  all  boys,  but  one  which  might 
likewise  give  them  a  fair  idea  of  the  wonderful 
resources  and  natural  beauty  of  this  section  of  the 
United  States.  Ours  is  a  wonderful  country,  and 
none  of  us  can  learn  too  much  concerning  it. 

Again  thanking  my  young  friends  for  their 
kindness  in  the  past,  I  place  this  volume  in  their 
hands,  trusting  they  will  find  it  as  much  to  their 
liking  as  those  which  have  preceded  it. 

Affectionately  and  sincerely  yours, 

EDWARD  STRATEMEYER. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  THE  BOYS  OF  PUTNAM  HALL,         •       •       ,       I 

II.  A  GLIMPSE  AT  THE  PAST,        •       •       .       .       9 

III.  TOM  ON  A  TOUR  OF  DISCOVERY,     ...      17 

IV.  DORMITORY  NUMBER  Two,      ....      26 
V.  A  SCENE  IN  THE  SCHOOLROOM,       .        »       .      34 

VI.  NEWS  OF  AN  OLD  ENEMY,       ....      42 

VII.  SOMETHING  OF  A  SURPRISE,      ....      50 

VIII.  JASPER  GRINDER  is   DISMISSED,        ...      58 

IX.  A  RACE  ON  THE  ICE,  AND  WHAT  FOLLOWED,      66 

X.  THE  END  OF  THE  TERM,         ....      74 

XI.  HOME  FOR  THE  HOLIDAYS,      ....      84 

XII.  THE  BRASS-LINED  MONEY  CASKET,         .       .      92? 

XIII.  THE  HEART  OF  THE  ADIRONDACK^,         .       .    100 

XIV.  THE  START  UP  THE  RIVER,    ....     108 
XV.  WILD  TURKEYS,        .        .       .       .       .        .116 

XVI.  ON  THE  WRONG  TRAIL, 123 

XVII.  AN  UNEXPECTED  DISCOVERY,  .        .       .131 

XVIII.  IN  THE  CAMP  OF  THE  ENEMY,         ...    139 

XIX.  DICK  AND  THE  WILDCAT,        ....    147  ' 

XX.  BEAR  POND  AT  LAST,       .        .        .       .       .154 

XXI.  A  PAIR  OF  PRISONERS,     .....    162 

XXII.  JASPER  GRINDER  TRIES  TO  MAKE  TERMS,      .    169 

XXIII.  THE  BLACK  BEAR,    ..../>.    177 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PAG8 

XXIV.    TOGETHER  AGAIN, 185 

XXV.    SNOWED  IN, 193 

XXVI.  AN  UNWELCOME  COMRADE,    ....  201 

XXVII.  BRINGING  DOWN  Two  BEARS,        ...  209 

fXXVIII.    Two  FAILURES, *i6 

XXIX.  JASPER  GRINDER  AND  THE  WOLVES,     .       ..  224 

XXX.  A  SUCCESSFUL  SEARCH — CONCLUSION,   .       ,  234 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE 
MOUNTAINS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  BOYS  OF  PUTNAM    HALL. 

"HURRAH,  boys,  the  lake  is  frozen  over! 
We'll  be  sure  to  have  good  skating  by  to-morrow 
afternoon ! " 

"That's  fine  news,  Tom,"  came  from  Sam 
Rover.  "  I've  been  fairly  aching  for  a  skate  ever 
since  that  cold  snap  of  two  weeks  ago." 

"  We'll  have  to  start  up  some  skating  matches 
if  good  skating  does  really  turn  up,"  put  in  Dick 
Rover,  who  had  just  joined  his  two  brothers  in 
the  gymnasium  attached  to  Putnam  Hall. 
"  Don't  you  remember  those  matches  we  had  last 
year?" 

"  Certainly,  Dick,"  answered  Tom  Rover. 
"  Didn't  I  win  one  of  the  silver  medals  ?  " 

"  Gracious !  but  what  a  lot  has  happened  since1 
then,"  said  Sam,  who  was  the  youngest  of  the) 
trio.  "We've  gotten  rid  of  nearly  all  of  our 


a    ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

enemies,  and  old  Crabtree  is  in  jail  and  can*t 
bother  Mrs.  Stanhope  or  Dora  any  more." 

"  .We  didn't  get  rid  of  Dan  Baxter,"  remarked 
Dick.  "  He  gave  us  the  slip  nicely." 

"  Do  you  think  he'll  dare  to  bother  us  again, 
Dick  ?  "  questioned  Sam  anxiously. 

"  I  hope  not,  but  I'm  not  certain,  Sam.  The 
Baxters  are  a  bad  lot,  as  all  of  us  know,  and  as 
Dan  grows  older  he'll  be  just  as  wicked  as  his 
father,  and  maybe  worse." 

"  What  a  pity  a  fellow  like  Dan  can't  turn  over 
a  new  leaf,"  came  from  Tom  Rover.  "  He's 
bright  enough  in  his  way,  and  would  make  a  first- 
rate  chap." 

"  It's  not  in  the  blood,"  went  on  Dick.  "  We'll 
have  to  keep  our  eyes  open,  that's  all.  If  any 
thing,  Dan  is  probably  more  angry  at  us  than  ever, 
for  he  believes  we  were  the  sole  means  of  his 
father  being  put  in  prison." 

"  Old  Baxter  deserved  all  he  got,"  murmured 
Sam, 

"  So  he  did." 

"  Well,  if  Dan  Baxter  ever  bothers  me  he'll 
catch  it  warm,"  came  from  Tom.  "  I  shan't  at 
tempt  to  mince  matters  with  him.  Everybody  at 
this  school  knows  what  a  bully  he  was,  and  they 
know,  too,  what  a  rascal  he's  been  since  he  left 
So  I  say,  let  him  beware !  "  And  so  bringing  the 
conversation  to  an  end  for  the  time  being,  Tom 


THE  BOYS  OF  PUTNAM  HALL.      3 

Rover  ran  across  the  gymnasium  floor,  leaped  up 
and  grasped  a  turning-bar  stationed  there,  and 
was  soon  going  through  a  number  of  exercises 
recently  taught  to  him  by  the  new  "  gym " 
teacher. 

"  Gracious,  but  Tom  is  getting  to  be  a  regular 
circus  gymnast !  "  cried  Sam,  as  he  watched  his 
brother  in  admiration.  "  Just  see  what  beautiful 
turns  he  is  making." 

"  Humph !  that  aint  so  wonderful,"  came  from 
someone  at  Sam's  elbow,  and  turning  the  young 
est  Rover  found  himself  close  to  Billy  Tubbs,  a 
short,  stocky  youth  who  had  entered  Putnam 
Hall  at  the  opening  of  the  fall  term.  Tubbs  was 
a  boy  of  rich  parentage,  and  while  he  was  not  par 
ticularly  a  bully,  he  considered  himself  of  great 
importance  and  vastly  superior  to  the  majority  of 
his  associates. 

"  All  right,  Tubby;  if  it  isn't  so  wonderful,  just 
you  jump  up  and  do  it,"  returned  Sam  coldly. 

"  Look  here,  how  many  times  have  I  told  you 
not  to  call  me  Tubby !  "  burst  out  the  rich  youth. 
"  I  don't  like  it  at  all." 

"Then  what  shall  we  call  you?"  asked  Sam 
innocently.  "  Tubblets  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  want  you  to  call  me  Tubblets 
cither.  My  name  is  Tubbs — William  Philander 
Tubbs." 

"  Gosh !     Am  I  to  say  all  that  whenever  I  want 


4          ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

to  address  you  ? "  demanded  Sam,  with  a  pre 
tended  gasp  for  breath. 

"  I  don't  see  why  you  shouldn't.  It's  mgr 
name." 

"But  Tubby — I  mean  Tubblets — no,  Willander 
Philliam  Tubbs — the  name  is  altogether  too  long. 
Why,  supposin'  you  were  standing  on  a  railroad 
track  looking  east,  and  an  express  train  was  com 
ing  from  the  west  at  the  rate  of  seventy-five  miles 
an  hour,  and  it  got  to  within  a  hundred  yards  of 
you  when  I  discovered  your  truly  horrible  peril, 
and  I  should  start  to  warn  you  of  the  aforesaid 
truly  horrible  peril,  take  my  word  for  it,  before  I 
could  utter  such  an  elongated  personal  handle  as 
that,  you'd  be  struck  and  distributed  along  that 
track  for  a  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  quarter.  No, 
Tubby,  my  conscience  wouldn't  allow  it — really 
it  wouldn't."  And  Sam  shook  his  head  seriously. 

"  See  here,  what  are  you  giving  me?  "  roared 
Tubbs  wrathfully.  "  Don't  you  worry  about  my 
standing  on  a  railroad  track  and  asking  you  to 
call  me  off."  And  then  he  added,  with  a  red 
face,  as  a  laugh  went  up  from  half  a  dozen  stu 
dents  standing  near :  "  William  Philander  Tubbs 
is  my  name,  and  I  shan't  answer  to  any  other 
after  this." 

"  Good  for  you,  Washtubs !  "  came  from  a  boy 
in  the  rear  of  the  crowd. 

"  I'd  stick  to  that  resolution,  by  all  means,  B«t- 


THE  BOYS  OF  PUTNAM  HALL.      5 

tertubs,"  came  from  the  opposite   side  of  the 
crowd. 

And  then  one  older  youth,  who  was  given  to 
writing  songs,  began  to  sing  softly : 

"  Rub-a-dub-dub  ! 
One  man  in  a  tub, 

And  who  do  you  think  it  is, 
It's  William  Philander, 
Who's  got  up  his  dander, 

And  isn't  he  mad  !     Gee  whizz  !  * 

The  doggerel,  gotten  up  on  the  spur  of  the  mo 
ment,  struck  the  fancy  of  fully  a  score  of  boys, 
big  and  little,  and  in  an  instant  all  were  singing  it 
over  and  over  again,  at  the  top  of  their  lungs,  and 
at  this  those  who  did  not  sing  began  to  laugh  up 
roariously. 

"  I  say,  what's  it  all  about?  "  demanded  Tom, 
as  he  slid  from  the  turning-bar. 

"  Songbird  Powell  has  composed  a  comic  opera 

in  Tubby's  honor,"  answered  Larry  Colby,  one  of 

t  the  Rover  boys'  churns.     "  I  guess  he's  going  to 

have  it  put  on  the  stage  after  the  holidays,  with 

Tubby  as  leading  man." 

"  See  here,  I  won't  have  this !  "  roared  the  rich 
youth,  waving  his  hand  wildly  first  at  one  boy 
and  then  another.  "  I  don't  want  you  to  make 
up  any  songs  about  me." 

"  Songbird  won't  charge  you  anything,"  put  in 
Fred  Garrison,  another  of  the  students.  "  He's 


6          ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

a  true  poet,  and  writes  for  nothing.  You  ought 
to  feel  highly  honored." 

"  Make  a  speech  of  thanks,  that's  a  good  fel 
low,"  put  in  George  Granbury,  another  student. 

"  It's  an  outrage !  "  shouted  Tubbs,  his  face 
growing  redder  each  instant.  "  I  won't  stand  it." 

"  All  right,  we  won't  charge  you  for  sitting  on 
it,"  came  from  the  back  of  the  crowd. 

"  My  right  name  i&. " 

"  Barrel,  but  they  call  me  Tubbs  for  short," 
finished  another  student.  "  Hurrah,  Tubby  is 
discovered  at  last." 

"  Don't  blush,  Washtub !  you  don't  look  half  as 
pretty  as  when  you're  pale." 

"  If  you  feel  warm,  Buttertub,  go  out  and  sit 
on  the  thin  ice.  It  will  soon  cool  you  off,"  came 
from  Fred  Garrison. 

"  I'll  cool  you  off,  Garry !  "  burst  out  the  rich 
youth,  and  made  a  wild  dash  at  his  tormentor. 
But  somebody  put  out  a  foot  and  the  tormented 
boy  stumbled  headlong,  at  which  the  crowd  set  up 
another  shout,  and  then  sang  louder  than  ever, 

"  Rub-a-dub-dub ! 
One  man  in  a  tub  ! " 

"  I  say,  who  tripped  me  up !  "  gasped  Tubbs,  as 
soon  as  he  could  scramble  up.  "  Tell  me  who  did 
it,  and  I'll  soon  settle  with  him." 

"  Who  rolled  over  the  buttertub?  "  asked  Tom 


THE  BOYS  OF  PUTNAM  HALL.      7 

solemnly.  "  One  peanut  reward  for  the  first  cor 
rect  answer  to  this  absorbing  puzzle.  Please 
don't  all  raise  your  hands  at  once." 

"  I  believe  you  did  it,  Tom  Rover ! "  bellowed 
'I  the  rich  youth. 

"  I  ?  Never,  Tubby,  my  dear  boy.  I  never 
rolled  over  a  buttertub  in  my  life.  You've  got 
the  wrong  number.  Kindly  ring  the  bell  next 
door." 

"  Then  it  was  Sam,  and  I'll  fix  him  for  it,  see 
if  I  don't!" 

"  No,  it  wasn't  Sam.  He  never  touched  a 
washtub  in  his  life." 

"  I  say  it  was  Sam,"  cried  Tubbs,  who  was  al 
most  beside  himself  with  rage.  "  And  I'm  going 
to  teach  him  a  lesson.  There,  Sam  Rover,  how 
doyou  like  that?  " 

As  the  rich  youth  finished,  he  caught  the 
youngest  Rover  by  the  shoulder  with  his  left 
hand  and  with  his  right  gave  Sam  a  slanting 
J>low  on  the  cheek. 

"Stop!  I  didn't  trip  you!"  exclaimed  Sam; 
and  then  as  Tubbs  aimed  another  blow  at  him  he 
ducked  and  broke  loose  and  hit  out  in  return. 
His  blow  was  harder  and  more  truly  aimed  than 
he  had  anticipated,  and  it  took  Tubbs  directly  on 
the  nose.  A  spurt  of  blood  followed,  accom 
panied  by  a  yell  of  pain,  and  the  rich  youth  fell 
back. 


8          ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"Oh!  oh!     My  nose!" 

"You  brought  it  on  yourself,"  retorted  Sam. 
"  I  didn't " 

"Stop!  stop!  Boys,  what  does  this  mean?" 
came  in  a  sudden  stern  voice,  and  in  a  moment 
more  the  two  combatants  found  themselves1 
confronted  by  Jasper  Grinder,  a  new  teacher. 
"Fighting,  eh?  How  often  must  you  be  told 
that  such  disgraceful  conduct  is  not  allowed  here? 
You  come  with  me,  and  I'll  make  an  example  of 
both  of  you." 

And  in  a  moment  more  the  two  lads  found 
themselves  prisoners  in  Jasper  Grinder's  strong 
grasp  and  being  marched  out  of  the  gymnasium 
toward  the  school  building  proper. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A    GLIMPSE    AT    THE    PAST. 

As  old  readers  of  this  series  of  books  know, 
the  Rover  boys  were  three  in  number,  Dick  being 
the  oldest,  fun-loving  Tom  next,  and  small  but 
sturdy  Sam  bringing  up  the  rear  of  a  trio  of  as 
bright  and  up-to-date  a  set  of  American  lads  as 
could  be  found  anywhere. 

The  home  of  the  lads  was  with  their  father, 
Anderson  Rover,  and  their  Uncle  Randolph  and 
Aunt  Martha,  on  a  beautiful  farm  at  Valley 
Brook,  in  the  heart  of  New  York  State.  From 
this  farm  they  had  been  sent  to  Putnam  Hall,  a 
semi-military  institute  of  learning  situated  near 
Cedarville,  on  Cayuga  Lake.  This  was  while 
their  father  had  mysteriously  disappeared  while 
on  an  exploring  tour  into  the  heart  of  Africa. 

At  Putnam  Hall  the  Rover  boys  made  a  num 
ber  of  friends,  some  of  whom  have  already  been 
mentioned  in  these  pages,  and  they  likewise  made 
several  enemies.  Chief  among  the  enemies  were 
Josiah  Crabtree,  a  dictatorial  teacher,  and  Dan 
Baxter,  a  bully  who  had  done  his  best  to  make 
them  "  knuckle  under  "  to  him. 


io        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Since  those  first  days  at  school  many  changes 
had  taken  place;  so  many,  in  fact,  that  but  a  few 
can  be  noted  here.  Crabtree  had  been  dis 
charged,  and  was  now  in  prison  for  trying  to 
hypnotize  a  lady  into  marrying  him.  This  lady 
was  Mrs.  Stanhope,  the  mother  of  Dora  Stan 
hope,  who  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Putnam  Hall, 
and  a  girl  of  whom  Dick  Rover  thought  a  good 
deal. 

It  had  not  taken  the  Rover  boys  long  to  dis 
cover  that  hot  only  the  dictatorial  old  teacher,  but 
also  the  bully,  Dan  Baxter,  were  rascals,  and, 
what  was  more,  that  Arnold  Baxter,  the  father  of 
Dan,  was  an  old  enemy  to  their  father.  Follow 
ing  this  had  come  a  journey  to  Africa  and  into 
the  jungle  in  search  of  Mr.  Rover,  and  this  mis 
sion  accomplished,  the  Rover  boys  had  gone  West 
to  establish  a  mining  claim  in  which  their  father 
was  interested.  This  claim  was  disputed  by  the 
Baxters,  and  when  the  Rovers  won  out  and  went 
for  a  pleasure  trip  on  the  Great  Lakes,  the  Bax 
ters  did  their  best  to  bring  Dick,  Tom,  and  Sam 
to  grief.  But  instead  of  accomplishing  their  pur 
pose  they  failed  once  more,  and  Arnold  Baxter 
was  returned  to  the  prison  from  which  he  had 
escaped  some  months  before.  What  had  become 
of  Dan  Baxter  nobody  knew,  but  the  Rover  boys 
were  soon  to  learn,  as  we  will  see  in  the  chapters 
Which  follow. 


A   GLIMPSE  AT  THE  PAST.  n 

After  their  stirring  adventures  on  the  Great 
Lakes,  and  especially  on  Needle  Point  Island  in 
Lake  Huron,  the  Rover  boys  were  glad  enough  to 
get  back  to  dear  old  Putnam  Hall  and  to  their 
studies,  even  though  the  latter  were  something  of 
a  "  grind,"  as  Tom  declared.  They  all  loved 
Captain  Victor  Putnam,  the  owner  of  the  institu 
tion,  and  it  may  be  added  here  that  the  captain 
thought  as  much  of  the  Rovers  as  he  did  of  any  of 
the  scholars  under  him,  and  that  was  a  good  deal. 

The  coming  of  Jasper  Grinder  as  a  new  under- 
teacher  was  a  shock  to  many  of  the  boys  at  the 
school.  -  The  principal  teacher  under  Captain 
Putnam  was  Professor  George  Strong,  who  was 
stern  but  fair,  and  almost  as  well  liked  as  the  cap 
tain  himself,  and  there  were  now  several  others, 
all  of  whom  were  on  a  good  footing  with  the 
scholars.  What  had  induced  the  captain  to  take 
in  such  a  dictatorial  and  harsh  master  as  Jasper 
Grinder  was  a  mystery  which  nobody  could  ex 
plain. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  Grinder  had  come  into  the 
Hall  under  a  misrepresentation.  He  was  from 
the  Northwest,  and  claimed  to  have  been  a  pro 
fessor  at  a  well-known  California  college.  It 
was  true  he  had  once  taught  at  this  college,  but 
his  record  was  far  from  being  as  satisfactory  as 
Captain  Putnam  had  been  led  to  believe.  It  was 
true  he  was  a  learned  man, — quite  the  opposite  of 


12        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Josiah  Crabtree,  who  had  been  wise  only  in  looks, 
— but  it  was  also  true  that  he  was  a  high-strung, 
passionate  man,  given  to  strange  fits  of  anger,  and 
that  he  was  a  miser,  never  spending  a  cent  that 
was  not  absolutely  required  of  him. 

"  I  say,  let  me  go ! "  cried  Sam,  as  Jasper 
Grinder  almost  dragged  him  across  the  parade 
ground  between  the  gymnasium  and  the  school 
building.  "  I  am  not  to  blame  for  this  row." 

"  Silence !  I  won't  listen  to  a  word  until  we 
are  in  the  office,"  commanded  the  irate  teacher. 

"  He  started  the  whole  thing,"  came  from 
Tubbs.  "  He  called  me  Tubby,  and  got  the 
crowd  to  singing  a  song  about  me." 

"  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  song,  and  all  the 
boys  have  called  you  Tubby  since  you  came  here," 
went  on  Sam. 

"  Be  quiet,  1  tell  you ! "  cried  Jasper  Grinder, 
and  clutched  the  arm  of  each  so  tightly  that 
Tubbs  set  up  a  yell  of  pain.  "  I  am  master  here, 
and  I  will  show  you  how  to  mind." 

At  these  words  Sam's  heart  gave  a  sudden 
drop.  It  was  Friday  afternoon,  and  the  next  day 
would  be,  as  usual,  a  holiday.  Taking  advantage 
of  this  fact  Professor  Strong  had  gone  to  Buffalo 
to  visit  a  sick  relative  residing  there,  and  only  an 
hour  before  Captain  Putnam  had  been  driven 
away  behind  his  team  to  visit  an  old  army  friend 
living  at  Fordview,  twelve  miles  away.  Pro- 


A  GLIMPSE  AT  THE  PAST.  ij 

fessor  Strong  would  not  return  until  Monday 
morning,  and  it  was  more  than  likely  the  captain 
would  remain  away  over  night.  During  this  in 
terval  Jasper  Grinder  would  be  in  absolute  charge 
of  the  academy  and  the  pupils. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  teacher  had  led  the  way 
into  Captain  Putnam's  office,  and  with  a  final 
pinch  of  their  arms,  which  made  Tubbs  cry  out 
once  more  with  pain,  he  flung  the  pair  away 
from  him. 

"Don't  you  know  it  is  disgraceful  to  fight?" 
he  thundered. 

"  We  weren't  fighting — that  is,  not  exactly," 
said  Tubbs  meekly. 

"  Silence !  I  saw  the  whole  affair.  Why, 
your  nose  is  still  bleeding." 

"  I  don't  care.  It  was  Rover's  fault,  Mr. 
Grinder.  He  started  the  boys,  and  they  all  began 
to  make  fun  of  me.  He  wouldn't  stop " 

"  And  then  you  fought  like  a  pair  of  young 
tigers.  Disgraceful!  I  will  have  to  make  an 
example  of  both  of  you." 

"  I'd  like  to  see  Captain  Putnam  about  the  mat 
ter,"  said  Sam  boldly. 

At  these  words  Jasper  Grinder  fairly  trembled 
with  suppressed  anger.  "  The  captain  is  not 
here,  and  I  shall  deal  with  you  as  you  deserve," 
he  said. 

Tubbs  sank  down  on  a  chair  and  began  to  at- 


14        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

tend  to  his  nose  with  his  handkerchief.  Sam  re 
mained  standing,  but  his  whole  manner  showed 
that  he  did  not  consider  he  was  being  treated 
fairly. 

"  What  both  of  you  boys  deserve  is  a  good 
thrashing,"  said  the  teacher,  after  a  pause. 

At  this  Sam  looked  his  surprise.  Thrashing 
was  not  permitted  at  the  Hall.  The  worst  that 
could  happen  to  a  student  was  to  place  him  in 
solitary  confinement  over  night,  after  a  supper  of 
bread  and  water. 

"  As  I  am  not  permitted  by  the  rules  to  thrash 
you,  I  shall  put  you  in  the  stone  cell  over  night," 
went  on  Jasper  Grinder. 

"Together?"  questioned  Tubbs,  from  behind 
his  blood-stained  handkerchief. 

"  No.  You  shall  go  to  the  cell,  and  Rover 
shall  be  placed  in  the  empty  storeroom  next  to  it." 

"  The  cell  is  ice  cold,  and  so  is  the  storeroom," 
protested  Sam. 

"  It  is  not  my  fault  that  you  must  be  placed 
there,  and  you  will  have  to  put  up  with  the  cold," 
was  the  curt  answer. 

"  I  shan't  stay  in  a  cold  room ! "  cried  Sam. 
"  It's  not  fair." 

"  You  shall,  and  I'll  put  you  there  myself ! " 
ejaculated  Jasper  Grinder.  "  Tubbs,  don't  dare 
to  stir  until  I  return." 

So  speaking,  the  unreasonable  teacher  caught 


A   GLIMPSE  AT  THE  PAST.  15 

hold  of  Sam  once  more,  and  despite  the  youngest 
Rover's  struggles  hustled  him  out  of  the  office 
and  through  a  long  hallway,  at  the  end  of  which 
was  located  the  storeroom  he  had  mentioned. 
The  key  to  the  room  was  in  the  lock. 

"  Now  stay  there  until  you  are  willing  to  be 
have  yourself,"  said  Jasper  Grinder,  and  shoved 
Sam  into  the  apartment.  "  For  your  impudence 
to  me  you  shall  go  without  your  supper  to-night." 

"  That  remains  to  be  seen,"  replied  Sam,  but  in 
such  a  low  voice  that  the  teacher  did  not  hear. 
Then  the  door  was  closed  and  locked,  and  Jasper 
Grinder  hurried  away  with  the  key  in  his  pocket, 
to  make  poor  Tubbs  a  prisoner  in  the  stone  cell. 

"  Here's  a  pretty  mess,  and  no  mistake," 
thought  Sam,  as  he  sank  on  a  bench,  the  only 
article  of  furniture  the  room  contained.  "  I'm 
being  treated  worse  than  Tom  was  treated  by  old 
Crabtree  when  first  we  came  to  the  Hall.  And 
all  because  I  called  Tubby  by  his  nickname!  If 
this  keeps  on  a  fellow  won't  dare  to  breathe  out 
loud  when  Grinder  is  around.  What  a  passion 
ate  fellow  he  is  at  times !  He  glares  at  a  fellow  as 
if  he  was  going  to  eat  you  up !  "  . 

While  Sam  remained  on  the  bench  he  heard 
footsteps  in  the  hallway  and  a  howling  protest 
from  Tubbs.  Then  he  heard  the  rich  youth 
thrown  into  the  stone  cell  next  to  the  storeroom 
and  left  to  his  fate. 


16        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

It  was  nipping  cold,  and,  even  with  the  window 
tightly  closed  and  nailed  over  with  slats,  Sam 
could  not  endure  it  to  remain  on  the  bench  long. 
Leaping  up  he  began  to  stamp  his  feet  and  slap 
his  arms  across  his  chest  to  get  them  warm. 
Soon  he  heard  Tubbs  doing  the  same  thing. 

"  I  guess  he's  worse  off  than  I  am,"  thought 
the  youngest  Rover.  "  That  stone  cell  hasn't  any 
bench  in  it  any  more,  and  it  must  be  twice  as  cold 
and  damp  as  this  room.  It's  a  shame  to  put  any 
one  there  in  this  freezing  weather.  I  don't  be 
lieve  Captain  Putnam  would  stand  for  it  if  he  was 
here." 

He  tried  to  speak  to  Tubbs,  but  the  wall  be 
tween  was  too  thick,  and  he  soon  gave  up  the 
idea.  Then  he  continued  to  stamp  his  feet  and 
slap  his  arms,  and  even  went  through  an  imagi 
nary  prize  fight,  in  order  to  warm  up.  It  was 
now  growing  dark,  and  with  the  darkness  the 
atmosphere  of  the  storeroom  became  colder  and 
colder. 


CHAPTER  III. 

TOM  ON  A  TOUR  OP  DISCOVERY. 

POOR  Sain  was  removed  from  the  gymnasium 
so  quickly  that  neither  Dick  nor  Tom  had  time 
to  protest,  and  when  they  reached  the  main  door 
of  the  school  building  they  found  it  shut  and 
locked  in  their  faces. 

"  Say,  this  is  an  outrage,"  burst  out  Tom. 
"  Sam  wasn't  to  blame  for  that  fight.  He  didn't 
trip  Tubby  up." 

"  I  know  he  didn't,"  put  in  Fred  Garrison,  who 
had  come  up  also.  "  It  was  Larry  Mason.  But 
I  shan't  give  Larry  away." 

"  Neither  will  I." 

"  Mr.  Grinder  always  carries  matters  with  a 
high  hand  when  the  captain  is  away,"  put  in  Dick. 
"  And  he  gets  red-hot  at  the  least  little  thing." 

"  He  doesn't  deserve  to  be  a  teacher  here,"  came 
from  George  Granbury,  who  had  followed  the 
others.  "  To  my  way  of  thinking,  he's  worse 
than  old  Crabtree  was,  even  though  he  is  perhaps 
better  educated." 

"  I'd  like  to  know  what  he  is  going  to  do  with 
Sam,"  said  Dick,  with  a  serious  look  on  his  face. 

17 


18        ROVER  BOYS  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  Sam  has  made  such  a  good  record  this  term  I 
hate  to  see  it  broken." 

"  He'll  do  something  to  punish  'em  both,"  came 
from  Fred.  "  It  will  be  too  bad,  though,  if  he 
puts  'em  in  the  stone  cell.  They'll  freeze  to 
death  such  a  night  as  this  is  going  to  be." 

"  I  won't  allow  it,"  ejaculated  Dick.  "  Why, 
that  would  be  inhuman !  " 

"  I'm  going  in  by  the  back  way  and  find  out 
what's  going  on,"  said  Tom,  and  promptly  dis 
appeared  around  the  corner  of  the  Hall.  He  was 
soon  inside  the  building,  but  to  his  chagrin  found 
every  door  leading  to  Captain  Putnam's  private 
apartments  and  to  the  stone  cell  and  the  store 
room  locked.  Having  gone  through  the  mess- 
rooms  and  through  several  of  the  classrooms,  he 
rejoined  the  others,  who  had  gathered  around  the 
fire  in  what  was  called  the  students'  general  liv 
ing  room,  an  apartment  set  aside  during  cold 
weather  solely  for  the  boys'  comfort,  where  they 
might  read,  study,  play  quiet  games,  or  do  similar 
things  in  order  to  make  themselves  feel  at  home. 

"  How  did  you  make  out?  "  was  the  question 
immediately  put. 

"  Made  out,  and  that's  all,"  said  Tom  gloomily. 

"  What  do  you  mean?  "  came  from  Dick. 

"  Every  blessed  door  is  locked,  and  so  are  the 
windows.  I  can't  get  within  two  rooms  of  the 
office." 


TOM  ON  A   TOUR  OF  DISCOVERY.          tg 

"  Did  you  hear  anything?  "  asked  George. 

"  Yes;  I  heard  a  noise  like  somebody  stamp- 
lag." 

"  Where  did  it  come  from?  " 

"  I  think  it  came  from  the  stone  cell.  But  it 
sounded  like  somebody  stamping  on  wood." 

"  Perhaps  it  came  from  the  empty  storeroom/' 
cried  Dick.  "  More  than  likely  Mr.  Grinder  has 
placed  Sam  and  Tubby  there.  I  wish  he'd  come 
here.  I'd  question  him." 

"  Your  wish  is  gratified,"  whispered  George. 
"  Here  he  comes  now !  " 

The  door  at  the  far  end  of  the  room  had 
opened,  and  now  Jasper  Grinder  came  forth  in  a 
hurry.  He  was  about  to  pass  to  another  room,  at 
the  rear  of  the  school  when  Dick  stopped  him. 

"  Mr.  Grinder,  may  I  ask  what  you  have  done 
with  Sam?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  have  placed  him  in  confinement  until  Cap 
tain  Putnam  returns,"  was  the  snappy  answer. 

"  Did  you  put  him  in  the  stone  cell  ?  " 

"  It  is  not  for  you  to  question  me,  Rover." 

"  In  this  cold  weather  it  isn't  fit  for  anybody 
to  be  in  that  stone  cell.  Sam  may  catch  his 
death  of  cold." 

"  I  am  the  best  judge  of  my  own  actions, 
Rover,  and  need  ho  advice  from  you.  Your 
brother  has  broken  the  rules  of  this  school,  and 
must  suffer  for  so  doing." 


ao        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  It's  inhuman  to  make  a  fellow  freeze,"  burst 
out  Tom.  "  I  don't  believe  Captain  Putnam 
would  do  thC." 

"  Not  another  word  from  either  of  you,"  came 
sharply  from  the  teacher.  "  Your  brother  will 
not  freeze  to  death,  but  the  cold  may  teach  him  a 
useful  lesson." 

"  If  he  gets  sick,  I'll  get  my  father  to  hold  you 
legally  responsible,"  went  on  Tom. 

At  these  words  the  teacher  turned  slightly  pale, 
a  vision  of  a  lawsuit  with  damages  to  pay  floating 
across  his  miserly  mind. 

"  To  ease  your  mind,  Rover,  let  me  say  I'll  see 
to  it  that  he  doesn't  get  sick,"  he  said,  and  before 
Tom  or  Dick  could  question  him  further  he  passed 
out  of  the  room. 

"  If  he  isn't  the  worst  yet ! "  burst  out  Fred, 
who  had  listened  with  interest  to  what  was  said. 

"I  shan't  stand  it,"  returned  Tom.  "Will 
you,  Dick?" 

Dick,  older  and  more  thoughtful,  mused  for  a 
moment. 

"I'd  certainly  like  to  help  Sam,"  he  said. 
"  But  we  must  be  careful  and  not  get  into  trouble 
with  Captain  Putnam." 

"  I'm  going  to  find  my  way  to  the  door  of  the 
cell  somehow,"  went  on  Tom. 

"  Old  Grinder  left  that  door  unlocked  wheti  he 
came  out,"  said  George,  who  had  joined  them. 


TOM  ON  A   TOUR  OF  DISCOVERY.         ai 

"  Good !  I'm  going  through  before  he  comes 
back." 

As  good  as  his  word,  Tom  slipped  past  the 
various  tables  at  which  the  students  were  sitting, 
until  he  reached  the  door  which  connected  with 
Captain  Putnam's  private  apartments. 

Usually  this  portion  of  the  Hall  was  forbidden 
ground  to  the  scholars.  But  Tom  had  been  In 
side  the  rooms  a  number  of  times,  so  knew  the 
way  well.  Passing  through  a  private  sitting 
room  and  a  small  library,  he  came  to  a  narrow 
hall  connecting  with  the  main  hall,  at  the  end  of 
which  were  the  stone  cell  and  the  empty  store 
room. 

He  was  just  about  to  step  into  the  main  hall 
when  he  heard  somebody  coming  down  from  the 
floor  above.  The  party  was  Mrs.  Green,  the 
housekeeper,  a  good-natured  lady  upon  whom 
Tom  had  played  many  a  joke  in  the  past. 

"  Gosh !  I  mustn't  be  discovered !  "  he  mut 
tered,  and  looked  around  for  some  place  to  hide. 
Under  the  staircase  was  a  recess  containing  a 
number  of  hooks  with  cloaks  and  overcoats,  and 
into  this  he  crowded,  drawing  one  of  the  over- 
«oats  so  as  to  completely  cover  the  upper  portion 
of  his  body. 

Hardly  had  he  gained  the  hiding  place  when 
Mrs.  Green  reached  the  lower  hallway.  Tom 
heard  her  pause  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  strike  a 


32        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

match,  and  light  the  big  swinging  lamp  hanging 
from  overhead. 

"  I  might  as  well  mend  that  overcoat  now, 
while  the  captain  is  away,"  Tom  heard  her  mur 
mur  to  herself.  "  It's  only  a  buttonhole  that's 
torn  out,  and  a  tailor  would  charge  him  four 
times  what  it's  worth — and  he  always  so  good  at 
Christmas-time !  " 

"  She's  looking  out  for  her  present,"  thought 
Tom,  with  a  grin.  "  But  that's  none  of  my 
affair.  If  only  she  isn't  after  this  overcoat !  " 

He  heard  the  housekeeper  approach  the  recess 
and  pause  for  a  moment  in  front  of  it.  He  hardly 
dared  to  breathe,  fearing  that  he  would  surely  be 
discovered. 

"  Well,  I  declare,  if  he  hasn't  gone  and  worn 
the  very  overcoat  itself ! "  he  heard  Mrs.  Green 
cry.  "  Just  like  him,  and  two  good  coats  a-hang- 
ing  here.  Well,  I  suppose  it's  the  warmest  he's 
got,  and  he'll  have  a  cold  ride  back,  especially  if 
he  returns  to-night."  And  so  speaking  Mrs. 
Green  hurried  away. 

"  A  narrow  shave,  and  no  mistake,"  murmured 
Tom  to  himself,  and  listened  until  he  heard  a  dis 
tant  door  close.  Then  all  was  quiet,  save  the  dis 
tant  murmur  of  the  student's  voices,  coming  from 
the  sitting  room. 

Without  losing  more  time,  Tom  left  the  recess 
and  hurried  to  the  door  of  the  stone  call. 


TOM  ON  A   TOUR  OF  DISCOVERY.          33 

"Sam!"  he  called  out  softly.  "Are  you  in 
there?" 

"  No;  I'm  in  here,"  came  in  the  voice  of  Tubbs. 
"  And — I'm  almost  frozen  to — to — death."  The 
last  words  with  a  chattering  of  teeth  that  told 
only  too  plainly  how  the  rich  youth  was  suffering. 

"  Sorry  for  you,  Tubby,  really  I  am.  But 
where  is  Sam?  " 

"  In  the — the  storeroom.  Oh,  Rover,  won't 
you  please  ask  Mr.  Grinder  to  let  me  out?  I'll 
freeze  to  death  here,  I  know  I  will !  " 

"  I'll  do  what  I  can.  But  he  won't  let  you  out. 
He  isn't  that  kind  of  a  fellow." 

"  You  might  buy  him  off,  Rover.  I've  heard 
he's  a  regular  miser,  and  I'll  give  you  five  dollars 
of  my  Christmas  money  if  he'll  let  me  go." 

"  I'll  see  what  I  can  do  after  I've  talked  to 
Sam."  And  so  speaking  Tom  hurried  to  the  door 
of  the  storeroom. 

"Tom,  is  it  really  you?"  cried  the  youngest 
Rover  joyfully. 

"  Yes.     How  are  you  making  out  ?  " 

"  Horribly.  I  believe  my  feet  and  ears  are  al 
ready  frozen !  " 

"  Grinder  is  a  beast  to  put  you  in  here,  Sam." 

"  I  know  that  well  enough.  He  won't  give  me 
any  supper,  I'm  afraid." 

"  Then  I'll  try  to  get  some  supper  to  you." 

"  Is  the  key  of  this  door  on  a  hook  outside?  " 


»4   ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  No.  If  it  was  I'd  have  the  door  open  long 
ago." 

Sain  gave  a  deep  sigh,  and  then  began  to  dance 
around  once  more  to  keep  warm. 

"  Perhaps  I  can  find  a  key  to  fit  this  lock," 
went  on  Tom.  "  I  know  there  are  keys  in  some 
of  the  other  doors." 

He  ran  off  and  soon  returned  with  four  keys, 
which  he  tried,  one  after  another.  The  third  was 
a  fair  fit,  and  with  an  effort  the  bolt  of  the  lock 
was  forced  back- 

"  Hurrah !  the  door's  open !  "  exclaimed  Tom. 
"  Now  you  can  go  where  you  please." 

"Then  you  wouldn't  stay  here?"  questioned 
Sam  anxiously. 

"  Not  much !  I'd  hide  in  one  of  the  dormi 
tories,  and  I  wouldn't  show  myself  until  Captain 
Putnam  gets  back.  I'll  see  to  it  that  you  get 
something  to  eat,  and  when  the  captain  returns 
you  can  tell  him  that  if  you  had  remained  in  this 
place  all  night  you  would  have  been  frozen  to 
death." 

Sam  was  willing  enough  to  take  Tom's  advice, 
and  was  soon  in  the  hallway.  Then  the  door  was 
locked  again. 

"  It's  heartier  to  leave  poor  Tubby  in  that 
cell,"  said  Tom.  "  Let's  get  him  out  too." 

"All  right — if  you  can  find  a  key  to  fit  the 
lock." 


TOM  ON  A   TOUR  OF  DISCOVERY.         25 

Losing  no  time,  the  brothers  tried  one  key  after 
another  in  the  lock  to  the  door  of  the  stone  cell. 

"  Who's  that?"  came  in  a  chatter  from  Tubbs. 

"  Tom  Rover,"  was  the  answer.  "  I've  just 
released  Sam,  and  now  we  are  going  to  release 
you,  if  we  can." 

"  Good  for  you,  Rover." 

"  There  she  goes !  "  cried  Tom  a  few  seconds 
later,  and  in  a  moment  more  the  door  was  opened 
and  Tubbs  stood  in  the  hallway  with  the  Rover 
boys. 

Tubbs  was  about  to  say  something,  when  Sam 
suddenly  caught  him  by  the  arm. 

"  Hush !  "  he  whispered.  "  Somebody  is  com 
ing  !  I  hope  it  isn't  old  Grinder ! " 


CHAPTER  IV. 

DORMITORY    NUMBER    TWO. 

FOR  the  moment  none  of  the  three  students 
knew  what  to  do.  They  felt  that  if  the  approach 
ing  personage  should  be  Jasper  Grinder  there 
would  certainly  be  "  a  warm  time  of  it,"  to  say 
the  least. 

Yet  the  approaching  man  was  not  the  teacher, 
but  Peleg  Snuggers,  the  man  of  all  work  around 
*h«  Hall,  a  good-natured  individual,  well  liked  by 
nearly  all  the  students.  Snuggers  was  in  the  habit 
of  taking  many  a  joke  from  the  scholars,  yet  he 
rarely  retaliated,  contenting  himself  with  the  say 
ing  that  "  boys  will  be  boys." 

"  It's  Snuggers ! "  whispered  Sam,  after  a 
painful  pause.  "  What  shall  we  do?  " 

"  Perhaps  we  can  get  him  to  keep  quiet,"  re 
turned  Tom,  also  in  a  low  voice.  "  He's  a  pretty 
good  sort." 

"  Do — don't  trust  him,"  put  in  Tubbs,  in  a 
trembling  voice.  "If  I'm  put  back  in  that  cell 
I'll  die;  I  know  I  will!" 

"  I  have  it,"  said  Tom,  struck  by  a  sudden  idea. 
"  Into  the  storeroom  with  you,  quick ! 

36 


DORMITORY  NUMBER   TWO.  37 

"  But  he  may  be  coming  after  me!  "  said  Sam. 

"  Never  mind — I'll  fix  it  Be  quick,  or  the 
game  will  be  up !  " 

On  tiptoe  the  three  students  hurried  into  the 
storeroom  and  Tom  shut  the  door  noiselessly. 
Then  he  slipped  the  key  he  still  held  into  the  lock 
and  turned  it. 

"  Now  groan,  Sam,"  he  whispered.  "  Pretend 
to  be  nearly  dead,  and  ask  Peleg  to  bring  Grinder 
here." 

Catching  the  idea,  Sam  began  to  moan  and 
groan  most  dismally,  in  the  midst  of  which  Peleg 
Snuggers  came  up. 

"  Poor  boy,  I  reckon  as  how  he's  nearly  stiff 
from  the  cold,"  murmured  Snuggers.  "  And 
this  bread  and  water  won't  warm  him  up  nohow. 
I've  most  a  mind  to  bring  him  some  hot  tea  on  the 
sly,  and  a  sandwich,  too." 

The  general  utility  man  tried  to  insert  a  key  in 
the  lock,  but  failed  on  account  of  the  key  on  the 
inside. 

"  Oh !  oh !  "  moaned  Sam.     "  Help !  help !  " 

"  What's  the  row?  "  questioned  Snuggers. 

"  Is  that  you,  Snuggers?  " 

"  Yes,  Master  Rover." 

"  I'm  most  frozen  to  death !  My  feet  and  ears 
are  frozen  stiff  already !  " 

"It's  a  shame!" 

"  Tell  Mr.  Grinder  to  come  here." 


28         ROVER  BOYS  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  He  won't  come,  I'm  afraid.  He  just  sent  me 
with  some  bread  and  water  for  you  and  for  Mas 
ter  Tubbs." 

"  Water?  Do  you  want  me  to  turn  into  ice? 
Oh,  Snuggers,  please  send  him.  I  know  I  can't 
stand  this  half  an  hour  longer.  I'll  be  a  corpse !  " 

"  All  right,  I'll  fetch  him,"  answered  Snuggers. 
And  setting  down  the  pitcher  of  water  and  loaf  of 
bread  he  had  been  carrying  he  hurried  off. 

"  Now  is  our  time !  "  whispered  Tom,  as  soon 
as  he  was  certain  the  man  of  all  work  was 
gone. 

"But  which  way  shall  we  go?"  questioned 
Sam. 

"  Follow  me,  and  I'll  show  you." 

Leaving  the  storeroom,  Tom  led  the  way 
through  the  semi-dark  hallway  and  up  the  stairs. 
At  the  rear  of  the  upper  hall  was  a  bedroom  re 
served  for  the  captain's  private  guests. 

"  Come  in  here  for  the  present,"  said  Tom. 
"  And  when  I  tap  on  the  window  unlock  the  sash 
and  be  prepared  to  climb  from  the  window  to  the 
next,  which  connects  with  Dormitory  No.  2." 

"  Good  for  you !  "  said  Sam.  "  But  how  are 
you  going  to  get  to  the  dormitory?  " 

"  Leave  that  to  me." 

Leaving  Sam  and  Tubbs  to  take  care  of  them 
selves,  Tom  left  the  bedroom  and  walked  out  in 
,-the  upper  hall  once  more. 


DORMITORY  NUMBER  TWO.  39 

He  was  just  in  time  to  hear  Peleg  Snuggers 
returning  with  Jasper  Grinder. 

"  It's  all  nonsense,"  he  heard,  in  the  teacher'? 
harsh  voice,  "  The  cold  will  do  both  of  the  boys 
good." 

"  He  said  he  was  half  frozen,"  insisted  Snug 
gers.  "If  anything  serious-like  happened  to 
them,  I  dunno  what  the  captain  would  say." 

"  I  know  nothing  serious  will  happen,"  growled 
Jasper  Grinder.  "  He  was  merely  trying  to  work 
upon  your  sympathies.  Both  could  stay  there  till 
morning  easily  enough." 

"  The  wretch !  "  murmured  Tom  to  himself. 
"  I'm  mighty  glad  I  let  them  out!  " 

A  few  seconds  later  he  heard  a  cry  of  dismay. 

"  Rover  is  gone !  " 

"  Gone?  "  came  from  Snuggers. 

"  Yes,  gone.  Snuggers  did  you  leave  the  door 
unlocked  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  I  couldn't  get  the  key  in  the  lock. 
Here  it  is."  And  the  general  utility  man  pro- 
iduced  it. 

"  Ah !  here  is  a  key  on  the  inside.  What  can 
this  mean  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  sir.  I  left  him  a-groanin'  only 
a  few  mintues  ago." 

"It  is  very  strange."  Jasper  Grinder  gazed 
around  the  empty  storeroom.  "  Did  you  hear 
anything  from  Master  Tubbs?  " 


3o        ROFER  BOYS  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  No,  sir." 

The  teacher  stepped  out  of  the  storeroom  and 
made  his  way  to  the  stone  cell. 

"  He  is  gone  too !  "  he  ejaculated. 

"  Really,  sir,  did  you  say  '  gone '  ?  "  cried  Peleg 
Snuggers,  in  dismay. 

"  Yes.  This  is — ah— outrageous,  Snuggers, 
Where  can  they  be?  " 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know,  sir.  Master  Rover 
got  out  mighty  quick." 

"  Look  for  them  among  the  students,  and  if 
you  find  them  bring  them  to  me  at  once." 

"  I  will,  sir." 

As  soon  as  Peleg  Snuggers  had  departed  Jasper 
Grinder  looked  around  the  storeroom  and  the 
stone  cell  to  learn  if  he  could  find  any  trace  of  the 
boys. 

This  gave  Tom  the  chance  to  slip  through  the 
captain's  private  rooms  and  into  the  students' 
quarters. 

"  Well,  how  did  you  make  out  ?  "  was  Dick's 
impatient  question.  "  You've  been  gone  an 
age." 

"  Come  with  me  and  I'll  tell  you,"  said  Tom, 
and  taking  his  brother  and  several  chums  aside 
he  related  what  had  occurred. 

"  Keep  them  there  all  night,  and  on  bread  and 
water ! "  cried  Dick.  "  It  is  awful.  I'm  sure 
the  captain  won't  stand  for  it." 


DORMITORY  NUMBER  TWO.  31 

"  To  be  sure  he  won't,"  came  from  Fred  Gar 
rison.  "  But  what  are  you  going  to  do  next?  " 

"  Let  them  in  the  dormitory  window." 

Tom  led  the  way  upstairs  and  into  Dormitory 
No.  2.  There  were  four  windows  in  a  row,  and 
six  beds,  three  occupied  by  the  Rovers  and  the' 
others  by  Fred,  Larry,  and  George  Granbury. 

Going  to  the  corner  window  Tom  threw  it  wide 
open.  It  was  growing  dark  outside,  for  it  was 
now  half-past  six.  As  he  stuck  his  head  out  of 
the  window  there  was  the  rattle  of  a  drum  down 
in  the  mess  hall. 

"  Supper  time !  "  cried  Fred. 

"  You  go  down,"  said  Tom.  "  No  use  of  all 
of  us  being  late." 

"  No,  you  go  down,"  answered  Dick.  "  You've 
run  risk  enough.  Besides,  if  you  are  absent  from 
the  crowd  too  long  somebody  may  grow  suspi 
cious  of  you.  I'll  help  Sam  and  Tubbs  to  a  safe 
hiding-place." 

"  Find  out  if  they  are  there  first — and  lock  the 
door  after  we  are  gone." 

Leaning  out  of  the  window  Dick  tapped  on  the 
next  glass.  At  once  Sam  showed  himself. 

"  It's  quite  a  climb,  but  I  reckon  I  can  make  it," 
said  the  youngest  Rover. 

Waiting  to  hear  no  more,  Tom  hurried  below, 
followed  by  Fred,  and  mingled  with  the  crowd  of 
students  entering  the  mess  hall. 


3a        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Many  of  the  boys  were  talking  about  the  quar 
rel  between  Sam  and  Tubbs,  and  all  condemned 
the  actions  of  Jasper  Grinder. 

"  He  ought  to  have  set  them  to  doing  extra 
i  lessons;    that    would    have    benn    punishment 
|  enough,"  said  one  of  the  big  boys,  who  was  cap 
tain  of  Company  A  of  the  students  for  that 
term. 

This  opinion  was  that  held  by  the  majority. 
Several  of  the  boys  came  to  Tom  to  learn  what 
he  had  to  say.  But  he  merely  shrugged  his 
shoulders. 

"Wait  and  we'll  see  what  we  will  see,"  he 
said. 

"  Rover's  got  a  card  up  his  sleeve,  that's  as  sure 
as  you're  born,"  said  one  of  the  students,  and 
winked  at  Tom.  But  Tom  only  looked  wise  and 
turned  away. 

When  the  students  sat  down  to  eat  it  was 
noticed  that  Dick's  chair  was  vacant. 

"  Master  Thomas  Rover,  do  you  know  any 
thing  of  your  brother  Richard?  "  asked  an  under- 
teacher. 

\      "  Perhaps   he    is   having   a    talk    with    Mr. 
*  Grinder,"  said  Tom. 

"  Oh !  "  Then  the  under-teacher  noticed  that 
Mr.  Grinder's  chair  was  also  vacant,  and  said  no 
more. 

While  the  boys  were  eating,  Peleg  Snuggers 


DORMITORY  NUMBER  TWO.  33 

came  to  the  door  and  looked  carefully  about  the! 
mess  hall. 

"  You  won't  find  them  here,  Peleg,"  said  Tom 
to  himself.  Then  the  man  of  all  work  disap 
peared,  and  the  supper  continued  as  if  nothing 
out  of  the  ordinary  was  happening. 


CHAPTER  V. 

A  SCENE  IN  THE  SCHOOLROOM. 

IN  the  meantime,  what  of  affairs  in  the  dormi 
tory?  Was  all  going  as  quietly  as  Tom  had  an 
ticipated  ? 

As  soon  as  Tom  went  below  Dick  locked  the 
door,  then  turned  again  to  the  window.  Sam 
was  trying  to  climb  from  one  room  to  the  next, 
but  could  not  get  a  satisfactory  hold. 

"  Here,  give  me  your  hand,"  cried  Dick  softly, 
and  reaching  forth  he  soon  helped  his  brother  to 
a  position  of  safety. 

"  Say,  aint  it  dangerous?"  asked  Tubbs  anx 
iously,  as  he  gazed  to  the  ground,  twenty  feet 
below. 

"  You've  got  to  run  some  risks,  Tubbs,"  said 
Dick.  "  Quick,  or  you  may  be  too  late." 

Fearful  of  a  fall,  the  rich  youth  put  out  one  foot 
and  a  hand.  Dick  tried  to  reach  him,  but  was 
unable  to  do  so. 

"A  little  further,  Tubbs,"  he  said  encourag 
ingly. 

"  I—I'm  afraid  I'll  fall,"  was  the  trembling 

34 


A  PERILOUS   CLIMB. — P    34. 
Rev tr  Boys  in  tkt  Mountains. 


A   SCENE  IN   THE   SCHOOLROOM.  35 

answer.  Then  the  rich  youth  let  out  a  cry  of 
alarm.  "  Somebody  is  coming!  " 

"  Come ! "  cried  Dick,  and  reached  out  a  trifle 
further.  As  Tubbs  gave  the  eldest  Rover  his  fin 
gers  Dick  hauled  him  from  the  window  and  liter 
ally  swung  him  into  the  dormitory.  Then,  as 
Tubbs  landed  in  a  heap  on  the  floor,  Sam  closed 
the  window  and  locked  it. 

"  Now  you  must  clear  out  to  another  room !  " 
cried  Dick.  "Whoever  was  coming  will  find  that 
window  wide  open,  and  guess  you  have  escaped  in 
this  direction." 

"But  where  can  we  go  to?"  asked  the  rich 
youth. 

"  Go  to  Dormitory  No.  6.  Only  young  Adler 
is  in  there,  and  Hemmingway,  and  they  are  on  a 
vacation  until  after  Christmas.  The  closet  is  a 
big  one,  and  you  can  both  hide  on  the  upper 
shelf.  Quick!  I'll  bring  you  some  supper." 

All  three  left  the  dormitory,  and  Sam  and 
Tubbs  scurried  off  in  the  direction  indicated.  As 
for  Dick,  he  lost  no  time  in  reaching  the  mess  hall. 

"  Sorry,  sir,"  he  said  to  the  under-teacher. 
"  The  bell  couldn't  have  rung  very  loud." 

"  It  rang  as  loud  as  usual,"  was  the  answer,  and 
no  more  was  said,  the  teacher's  head  being  just 
then  full  of  other  matters. 

Glad  to  get  off  so  easily,  Dick  lost  no  time  in 
eating  his  supper.  While  making  way  with  the 


36    ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

food  he  stowed  a  goodly  portion  in  his  pockets,  in 
a  couple  of  spare  napkins,  and  by  some  silent  mo 
tions  from  Tom  learned  that  his  brother  was 
doing  the  same. 

Just  as  the  students  were  finishing  the  meal, 
Jasper  Grinder  came  in  and  walked  down  the 
aisles  between  the  tables.  He  looked  both  angry 
and  perplexed.  As  he  came  close  to  Tom  he 
paused. 

"  Excuse  me,  Mr.  Grinder,  but  won't  you  let 
Sam  out  of  the  stone  cell?  "  asked  Tom,  to  avoid 
being  questioned. 

"  You  be  silent,  Rover,"  muttered  the  teacher, 
and  passed  on  without  saying  more. 

After  the  supper  hour  it  was  usual  for  the  stu 
dents  to  have  half  an  hour  to  themselves,  during 
which  they  might  read,  play  games,  or  do  as  they 
pleased.  But  now  Mr.  Grinder  called  them  to 
gether  in  the  main  classroom. 

"  I  wish  to  talk  to  you  young  gentlemen,"  said 
the  teacher,  when  all  were  seated. 

"  We're  going  to  catch  it  now,"  whispered 
Tom  to  Dick.  "  Don't  you  give  the  secret 
away." 

"  Indeed  I  won't,"  answered  the  eldest  Rover. 
"  I  intend  to  lay  the  whole  case  before  Captain 
Putnam  as  soon  as  he  returns." 

"Silence!"  thundered  Jasper  Grinder.  "I 
want  you  boys  to  stop  talking  instantly." 


A   SCENE  IN   THE  SCHOOLROOM.  37 

"  I  didn't  say  anything,"  murmured  several  in 
ah  undertone. 

"  Silence,  I  say ! "  repeated  the  master,  and 
then  all  became  so  quiet  that  the  ticking  of  the 
clock  could  be  heard  distinctly. 

The  teacher  gazed  around  at  the  scores  of  faces 
and  looked  more  stern  than  ever. 

"  I  am  going  to  question  all  of  you  separately, 
and  I  trust  each  of  you  will  tell  the  truth.  The 
question  is,  Do  you  know  what  has  become  of 
Samuel  Rover  and  William  Tubbs?  or,  Do  you 
know  what  they  have  done?  I  shall  start  with 
the  first  boy.  Hickley,  what  have  you  to  say  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  them,"  an 
swered  the  boy  named  Hickley. 

"  Brainard,  do  you  know?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

"Parkham?" 

"  I  know  they  had  a  little  set-to  in  the  gym 
nasium,  but  that's  all.  The  whole  thing  was  a 
friendly  bout,  I  guess." 

"  I  am  the  best  judge  of  that.  It  was  a  dis 
graceful  fight.  What  have  you  to  say,  Griggs?  " 

"  If  you  say  it  was  disgraceful  I  suppose  it  was, 
sir.  I  thought  it  was  only  a  friendly  dis- 

"  Stop !    I  want  you  to  answer  the  original 
questions,  yes,  or  no." 
"  No." 


38        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"No,  what?" 

"  No,  to  both  original  questions.'* 

"  No,  sir! "  and  Jasper  Grinder  stamped  his 
foot. 

"  Oh !  All  right,  sir.  No,  sir,  to  both  ques 
tions,  sir." 

There  was  a  titter  at  this,  which  caused  Jasper 
Grinder  to  grow  red  in  the  face. 

"  Boys,  be  quiet !  "  he  shouted.  "  If  you  do 
not  be  still  I  will  keep  all  of  you  in  to-morrow." 

As  this  would  have  spoiled  the  chances  for  a 
good  skate  and  some  exciting  races,  the  boys  im 
mediately  subsided.  Then  the  questioning  went 
on  until  Dick  Rover  was  reached. 

"  I  don't  know  where  Sam  and  Tubbs  are 
now," said  Dick.  "Perhaps  they  are  frozen  stiff." 

"  Did  you  aid  them  in  escaping  from  the  ston« 
cell  and  the  storeroom  ?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Have  you  seen  them  since  I  placed  them 
there?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have,"  answered  Dick  boldly,  seeing  it 
was  useless  to  beat  about  the  bush  longer. 

"  Oh !     Then  you  did  aid  them  to  escape?  " 

"  Not  from  the  stone  cell  and  the  storeroom.  I 
met  them  after  they  had  escaped." 

"  Where  did  you  see  them  last?  " 

"  I  decline  to  answer  that  question." 

"  Decline ! "  thundered  Jasper  Grinder. 


A   SCENE  IN   THE   SCHOOLROOM.  39 

"  I  do,  sir.  As  soon  as  Captain  Putnam  ar 
rives  I  shall  lay  this  whole  matter  before  him,  and 
learn  if  you  have  any  authority  for  placing  my 
brother  in  a  place  where  he  is  liable  to  catch  a  cold 
which  may  give  him  pneumonia  and  be  the  cause 
of  his  death.  As  it  is,  my  brother  suffered  a 
great  deal,  and  so  did  Tubbs,  and  if  they  get  sick 
from  it  you  may  be  sure  that  you  will  be  held 
legally  accountable.  It  was  an  inhuman  thing  to 
do." 

As  Dick  finished  there  was  a  murmur,  and  then 
a  number  of  the  students  broke  out  into  applause, 
while  Tom  clapped  his  hands  as  hard  as  he  could. 
[Jasper  Grinder  stood  at  his  desk  dumbstruck,  with 
his  face  growing  paler  each  instant. 

"  Silence !  silence !  "  he  exclaimed,  when  he; 
could  control  his  voice.  "  Silence,  I  say,  or  I  will 
cane  you  all !  This  is — is  most  unseemly — it  is — • 
er — mutiny !  Silence !  " 

"  I  mean  just  what  I  say,  Mr.  Grinder,"  went 
on  Dick,  when  he  could  be  heard.  "  You  are 
master  here,  and  we  are  bound  to  obey  you,  in  cer 
tain  things.  But  you  shan't  keep  my  brother  in 
?  an  icy  room  all  night,  and  on  a  supper  of  stale 
1  bread  and  cold  water.  Such  treatment  would  al 
most  make  a  mule  sick." 

"  Rover,  will  you  be  silent,  or  must  I  get  the 
cane?"  gasped  Jasper  Grincter,  almost  beside 
himself  with  rage. 


40        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  If  you  get  your  cane,  sir,  you  won't  hit  me 
more  than  once  with  it." 

"  Won't  I  ?    We'll  see  who  is  master  here." 

"  My  gracious !  Is  he  really  going  to  try  to 
cane  you,  Dick!  "  exclaimed  Tom. 

"  I  suppose  he  is,"  was  the  cool  answer.  "  He 
is  so  angry  he  doesn't  know  what  he  is  doing." 

Rushing  from  the  classroom  Jasper  Grinder 
presently  reappeared,  carrying  a  cane  which 
looked  as  if  it  might  hurt  a  good  deal,  if  vigor 
ously  applied. 

Tom  could  not  hdp  but  grin.  Dick  was  almost 
as  tall  as  the  school-teacher,  and  probably  just  as 
strong,  and  the  idea  of  a  caning  appeared  ridicu 
lous  in  the  extreme. 

Caning  was  not  allowed  at  Putnam  Hall,  but 
evidently  Jasper  Grinder  meant  to  take  matters  in 
his  own  hands. 

"  Richard  Rover,  come  up  here,"  he  thundered. 

"What  for,  sir?" 

'*  To  receive  the  punishment  you  so  richly  de 
serve." 

"  Mr.  Grinder,  you  haven't  any  right  to  cane 
a*.  It's  against  Captain  Putnam's  rules." 

"  I  don't  care  for  the  rules — I  mean,  you  have 
acted  in  such  an  outrageous  manner  that  I  must  do 
whatever  I  think  necessary  to  uphold  law  and 
order." 

"I  am  willing  to  stand  whatever  punishment 


A  SCENE  IN  THE  SCHOOLROOM.          41 

Captain  Putnam  sees  fit  to  inflict  But  I  stall 
not  take  a  caning  from  you." 

"Won't  you?    We'll  see." 

As  Jasper  Grinder  spoke  lie  leaped  from  the 
olatform  and  strode  rapidly  toward  the  spot 
where  Dick  was  standing. 

The  eldest  Rover  did  not  budge,  but  remained 
where  he  was,  eying  the  enraged  school-teacher 
determinedly. 

"  Don't  you  dare  to  strike ! "  he  said  warningly, 
as  the  cane  was  raised  over  his  head. 

"  I  will ! "  cried  Jasper  Grinder,  and  was  about 
to  bring  the  cane  down  with  all  force  when  Tom 
caught  it  from  behind  and  wrenched  it  from  his 
grasp. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

NEWS    OF    AN    OLD    ENEMY. 

DICK  had  not  intended  that  the  cane  should  hit 
him.  He  was  prepared  to  dodge.  But  he 
wanted  to  make  certain  that  Jasper  Grinder  would 
really  try  to  carry  out  his  ill-advised  threat. 

"  Hi !  give  me  that  cane !  "  cried  the  school 
master,  as  he  whirled  around. 

"  I  shall  not,"  answered  Tom,  and  began  to  run 
down  one  of  the  aisles  to  the  door. 

Instantly  Jasper  Grinder  made  after  him.  But 
the  boys  had  gathered  in  a  crowd,  and  it  was  with 
difficulty  that  the  man  could  get  through. 

As  Tom  ran  for  one  door  Dick  ran  for  another, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  both  met  in  a  hallway 
leading  to  the  mess  hall  and  the  dormitories. 

"Dick,  what  shall  we;  do  next?"  questioned 
Tom.  "  We  can't  stay  here,  that's  certain." 

"We'll  get  out,"  answered  Dick.  "I  thinK 
Mrs.  Stanhope  will  keep  us  all  night." 

"  And  if  she  won't,  I  know  the  Lanings  will," 
said  Tom,  with  a  grin. 

"  We  must  let  Sam  know,"  went  on  DicE 


NEWS  OF  AN  OLD  ENEMY.  43 

"  He  can  go  along.  I  shan't  come  back  until 
Captain  Putnam  returns." 

"  Right  you  are." 

Up  the  stairs  they  rushed,  and  into  the  dormk 
tory  where  Sam  and  Tubbs  were  in  hiding. 

"  Sam!  "  called  Dick,  and  the  youngest  Rover 
at  once  appeared. 

"  What's  up  now  ?  What  are  you  in  such  a 
hurry  for?  " 

"  Get  your  overcoat  and  hat,  and  come  on. 
We  are  going  to  the  Stanhopes  for  the  night. 
Here,  Tubbs,  is  some  supper,"  and  Dick  passed 
over  what  he  had  in  the  napkins,  while  Tom  did 
the  same. 

"Thanks,"  said  the  rich  boy.  "  But— but 
must  I  stay  here  alone?  " 

"  I  don't  think  we  can  take  you  along,"  an 
swered  Dick.  "  But  you  want  to  be  careful. 
Old  Grinder  is  as  mad  as  a  hornet.  He  was 
going  to  cane  me  for  helping  you  two.  Come, 
Sam,  there  is  no  time  to  waste.  Tubbs,  you  had 
better  let  Fred  Garrison  know  where  you  are. 
He's  all  right." 

In  a  moment  more  Dick,  Tom,  and  Sam  were 
in  their  own  room  and  putting  on  their  heavy 
overcoats  and  their  hats.  They  lost  no  time,  and 
as  they  heard  Jasper  Grinder  coming  up  one  flight 
of  stairs  they  ran  down  another  pair  leading  into 
the  kitchen. 


44        ROVE.R  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Here  the  servants,  directed  by  Mrs.  Green, 
were  putting  away  what  was  left  of  the  students' 
supper. 

"  Oh,  dear !  "  burst  out  the  matron,  on  catch 
ing  sight  of  the  boys.  "  What  do  you  want 
Jhere?" 

"  Good-by,  Mrs.  Green,"  said  Dick.  "  Tell  the 
captain  when  he  conies  that  we  were  driven  away 
from  the  school  by  Mr.  Grinder,  and  that  we'll 
return  as  soon  as  we  learn  that  he  is  back." 
And  before  the  housekeeper  could  answer  they 
opened  the  kitchen  door  and  ran  outside. 

It  was  a  dark  night  and  the  air  was  filled  with 
snow,  some  of  which  was  already  sifting  lazily 
downward.  But  they  knew  the  way  well,  so  the 
want  of  light  did  not  bother  them.  They  crossed 
the  parade  ground  on  a  run  and  made  directly  for 
the  road  leading  to  the  Stanhopes'  cottage. 

"  I  reckon  it  will  be  quite  a  surprise  for  Mrs. 
Stanhope  and  Dora,"  said  Tom,  after  they  had 
told  Sam  of  what  had  happened'  in  the  school 
room.  "  They  won't  be  looking  for  us." 

"  I  know  they'll  treat  us  well,"  said  Dick. 

"  To  be  sure  they  will — especially  after  all  we 
did  for  them  on  the  Lakes,"  put  in  Sam.  "  But 
let  me  tell  you,  I  am  curious  to  know  how  this 
thing  is  going  to  end." 

"  I  think  Mr.  Grinder  will  get  the  worst  of  it," 
returned  Tom  confidently.  "  He  must  know  he 


NEWS  OF  AN  OLD  ENEMY.  45 

was  doing  wrong  to  put  you  in  that  icy  storeroom 
and  poor  Tubbs  in  the  stone  cell.  How  did  you 
make  out  with  Tubbs  in  the  closet  ?  " 

"  Oh,  he  became  quite  friendly,  and  we  de 
cided  to  let  the  past  drop.  I  promised  I  wouldn't 
call  him  Tubby  any  more." 

"  That's  fair,"  came  from  Dick.  "  He  isn't 
such  a  bad  sort." 

On  and  on  hurried  the  boys.  The  road  was  a 
somewhat  lonely  one,  with  several  patches  of 
woods  to  be  passed.  Several  times  they  halted,  en 
deavoring  to  ascertain  if  they  were  being  pursued. 
But  all  remained  silent.  The  snow  was  now  com 
ing  down  more  thickly  than  ever. 

"  What  a  lot  of  adventures  we  have  had  in 
these  woods,"  observed  Tom,  during  one  of  the 
halts.  "  Don't  you  remember  the  tramp  who 
stole  the  watch,  and  the  rows  with  Josiah  Crab- 
tree  and  with  Arnold  Baxter  and  Dan  ?  " 

"Indeed  I  do,"  said  Sam.  "Mrs.  Stanhope 
and  Dora  must  be  glad  to  be  rid  of  old  Crabtree 
and  Arnold  Baxter." 

"  It's  a  pity  Dan  Baxter  wasn't  locked  up  witti 
his  father,"  said  Dick.  "  Don't  you  remember- 
how  he  used  to  bother  Dora  and  the  Laning 
girls?" 

"  Do  you  think  he'd  bother  them  now?  "  asked 
Sam.  "  If  he  bothers  Grace  Laning  he  had  bet 
ter  look  out  for  me." 


46         ROVER  BOYS  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  That's  right,  Sam,  stand  up  for  your  own 
particular  girl "  began  Tom. 

"  I  didn't  say  she  was  my  girl,"  cried  Sam, 
and  he  was  glad  that  the  darkness  hid  his  red- 
growing  face.  "  I'm  no  more  sweet  on  her  than 
you  are  on  her  sister  Nellie." 

"  It's  Dick  who  must  lead  off,  with  Dora  Stan 
hope "  went  on  Tom. 

"  Oh,  stow  it,  and  come  on !  "  burst  in  Dick. 
"  If  you  keep  on  talking  you'll  surely  be  caught. 
Grinder  may  be  coming  after  us  in  a  carriage." 

"  If  we  had  our  bicycles  we  could  get  there  in 
no  time,"  said  Sam, 

"  Yes,  and  we  might  break  our  necks  in  the 
dark,"  added  Dick.  "  Come,  we  haven't  more 
than  a  mile  further  to  go." 

On  the  three  trudged,  through  the  snow,  which 
was  coming  down  faster  each  instant.  Once  they 
thought  they  heard  carriage  wheels  behind  them, 
but  soon  the  sounds  faded  away  in  the  distance. 

At  last  they  came  in  sight  of  the  Stanhope  cot 
tage.  A  bright  light  was  streaming  from  the 
sitting-room  windows,  and  looking  in  they  saw 
Dora  sitting  at  the  table  reading  a  book,  and 
Mrs.  Stanhope  resting  comfortably  in  an  easy- 
chair  in  front  of  the  bright-burning  fire. 

Dora  herself  came  to  the  door  in  answer  to 
their  ring.  "  Why,  mamma,  it's  the  Rovers ! " 
she  cried,  as  she  shook  hands.  "  I  never  expected 


NEWS  OF  AN  OLD  ENEMY.  47 

to  see  you  to-night,  in  such  a  snowstorm.  How 
kind  of  Captain  Putnam  to  let  you  come." 

"  The  captain  had  nothing  to  do  with  it,"  an 
swered  Dick,  as  he  gave  her  hand  an  extra 
squeeze,  which  he  somehow  thought  she  returned. 
"  We  came  because  we  were  having  a  lot  of 
trouble,  and  didn't  know  what  else  to  do." 

"  More  trouble !  "  came  from  Mrs.  Stanhope, 
as  she  also  greeted  them.  "  I  was  hoping  all  our 
troubles  were  a  thing  of  the  past." 

"This  isn't  any  trouble  for  you,"  answered 
Dick.  "  Excepting  that  it  brings  trouble  through 
your  giving  us  shelter  for  the  night." 

"  If  that's  the  case,  then  let  it  bring  trouble," 
put  in  Dora  promptly.  "  But  what  is  it  all 
about." 

"  I'll  tell  you  presently,  Dora.  But  in  the 
meantime  can  you  give  Sam  some  supper?  He 
hasn't  had  a  mouthful  since  dinner  time." 

"  You  poor  boy !  "  came  from  Mrs.  Stanhope, 
"  To  be  sure  he  shall  have  his  supper.  I'll  tell 
Mary  to  prepare  it  at  once,"  and  she  bustled  from 
the  room  to  give  the  servant  the  necessary  direc 
tions,  and  returned  at  once. 

Sitting  down  in  front  of  the  fire  the  three  boys 
told  their  tale,  Mrs.  Stanhope  and  Dora  listening 
with  keen  attention.  When  Dick  got  to  the  point 
where  Jasper  Grinder  had  wanted  to  thrash  him 
Dora  gave  a  scream. 


48        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  Oh,  Dick,  the  idea!  Why,  he  really  must  be 
crazy! " 

"  I  believe  his  passion  got  the  best  of  him,"  said 
the  eldest  Rover. 

"  I'm  glad  Tom  took  the  cane  away/'  went  on 
Dora. 

"  It  is  really  too  bad,"  observed  Mrs.  Stanhope, 
when  their  story  was  finished.  "  I  quite  agree 
with  you  that  Captain  Putnam  will  not  uphold 
Mr.  Grinder  in  his  inhuman  course.  Of  course 
you  must  stay  here  to-night,  and  as  long  after 
that  as  you  please." 

It  was  not  long  before  supper  was  ready  for 
Sam,  and  when  he  entered  the  dining  room  Mrs. 
Stanhope  went  along,  to  see  that  he  got  all  he 
desired. 

"  I  am  awfully  glad  you  came,"  said  Dora,  in 
a  low  voice,  when  she  was  alone  with  Dick  and 
Tom.  "  I  have  something  important  to  tell  you, 
something  I  didn't  wish  to  mention  in  front  of 
mamma,  for  it  will  only  worry  her  without  doing 
any  good." 

"  And  what  is  it?  "  asked  Tom  and  Dick,  in  a 
breatfa. 

"  I  was  down  to  Cedarville  yesterday  to  do 
some  shopping,  and  I  am  almost  certain  that  I 
saw  Dan  Baxter  hanging  around  the  hotel  there." 

"  Dan  Baxter!  "  ejaculated  Dick. 

"  Hw&h,  Dick !  not  so  loud.     Yes,  Dan  Baxter. 


NEWS  OF  AN  OLD  ENEMY.  49 

He  was  on  the  hotel  stoop,  but  the  minute  he  saw 
me  he  went  inside." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  mistaken,"  said  Tom.  "  I 
hardly  think  he'd  dare  to  show  himself  here." 

"  At  first  I  was  uncertain  about  it.  But  when 
I  came  back  that  way  I  looked  again,  and  1 
caught  him  peeping  out  at  me  from  one  of  the  bar 
room  windows.  As  soon  as  he  saw  me  look  he 
dodged  out  of  sight." 

"  If  Dan  Baxter  is  in  this  neighborhood,  he  is 
here  for  no  good,"  was  Dick's  blunt  comment. 
"  Evidently  he  has  not  forgiven  us  for  helping 
to  put  his  father  back  in  jail." 

"  Dan  Baxter  is  not  of  a  forgiving  nature, 
Dick.  You  must  be  careful,  or  he  will  make 
trouble  for  all  three  of  you." 

"  We  can  take  care  of  ourselves,  Dora.  If 
only  he  doesn't  annoy  you  and  your  mother." 

"  I  don't  think  he'll  do  that — now  Mr.  Crab- 
tree  is  out  of  it,"  answered  Dora,  and  then,  as 
Mrs.  Stanhope  re-entered  the  room,  the  subject 
was  dropped. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SOMETHING    OF    A    SURPRISE. 

DESPITE  the  stirring  events  which  had  just 
passed  the  Rovers  managed  to  pass  a  pleasant 
evening  at  the  Stanhope  cottage.  This  was  in 
a  large  measure  due  to  Dora,  who  did  all  she  could 
to  entertain  them  and  make  them  forget  their 
troubles.  All  played  games,  and  Dora  played  the 
piano  and  sang  for  them,  while  Dick  and  Tom  also 
took  a  hand  at  the  singing.  Sam  could  not  sing, 
and  declared  that  he  was  certainly  getting  a  cold, 
whether  from  being  in  the  storeroom  or  not. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  boys  retired,  to  a  large  bed 
chamber  containing  a  double  bed  and  a  good- 
sized  cot.  They  were  soon  undressed,  and  after 
saying  their  prayers  dropped  asleep  and  slept 
soundly  until  seven  in  the  morning. 

When  they  arose  a  surprise  awaited  them.  On 
the  ground  outside  the  snow  lay  to  the  depth  of  a 
foot  or  more,  and  it  was  still  snowing  as  heavily 
as  ever. 

"  Hullo !  we  are  snowed  in ! "  exclaimed  Sam, 
as  he  gazed  out  on  the  whitened  landscape. 

50 


SOMETHING  OF  A   SURPRISE.  51 

"Sure  enough,"  returned  Dick,  and  added: 
"This  looks  as  if  Captain  Putnam  might  not 
come  back  to-day." 

"If  that's  the  case,  I  vote  we  stay  here,"  put 
in  Tom.  "  I'm  sure  Mrs.  Stanhope  will  keep  us." 

It  was  found  that  Sam's  cold  had  attacked  him 
in  earnest.  He  was  very  hoarse,  and  complained 
of  a  severe  pain  in  the  chest. 

"  You'll  have  to  do  something  for  that  cold," 
said  Dick.  "  Better  stay  in  bed  this  morning, 
and  let  Mrs.  Stanhope  put  a  plaster  on  your 
chest." 

Going  below,  he  told  the  lady  of  the  cottage  of 
his  brother's  condition.  A  mustard  draught  was 
at  once  prepared  and  placed  upon  Sam,  and  he 
was  also  given  some  pine  tar  cough  mixture. 
These  things  relieved  him  somewhat,  but  Mrs. 
Stanhope  insisted  upon  it  that  he  remain  in  bed, 
and  brought  him  his  breakfast  with  her  own 
hands. 

"Of  course  you  must  stay  here,  especially  since 
Sam  is  sick,"  said  Dora,  while  they  were  eating  a 
breakfast  of  buckwheat  cakes,  honey,  chops,  and' 
coffee.  "  He  may  not  get  worse,  but  if  he  does, 
one  of  you  will  have  to  take  the  horse  and  go  for 
the  doctor." 

"  Yes,  we'll  have  to  watch  Sam,"  answered 
Dick.  "  But  don't  put  yourselves  to  too  much 
trouble  on  our  account." 


58        ROVER  BOYS  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  As  if  we  could  take  too  much  trouble  for 
you !  "  exclaimed  Dora,  and  blushed  sweetly.  It 
was  not  likely  that  she  would  ever  forget  all  the 
Rovers  had  done  for  her  and  her  mother. 

Tom  was  anxious  to  learn  about  the  Lanings, 
and  was  told  that  they  were  all  at  home  and  doing 
finely. 

"  Nellie  and  Grace  are  going  on  a  visit  to  an 
aunt  at  Timber  Run  after  the  holidays,"  said 
Dora.  "  They  wanted  me  to  go  along,  but  I 
didn't  care  to  leave  mamma,  and  we  didn't  wish 
to  lock  up  the  house  for  fear  some  tramps  might 
break  in  and  rob  us." 

After  breakfast  Sam  said  he  felt  like  sitting  up, 
but  toward  noon  his  chest  began  to  hurt  him 
again,  and  Mrs.  Stanhope  said  it  would  be  best 
that  somebody  go  for  a  doctor.  Dick  and  Tom 
both  volunteered,  but  it  was  finally  decided  that 
Dick  should  go  alone,  on  horseback. 

A  steed  was  soon  saddled,  and  off  Dick  rode, 
wrapped  in  his  overcoat  and  with  an  old  fur  cap 
pulled  well  down  over  his  ears.  It  had  now 
stopped  snowing,  so  the  weather  was  not  quite  as 
unpleasant  as  it  had  been. 

Dick  was  bound  for  the  house  of  Dr.  Fremley, 
a  physician  he  knew  well,  and  thither  he  made  his 
way  as  speedily  as  the  horse  could  plow  through 
the  drifts  which  presented  themselves.  At  times, 
when  the  wind  arose,  it  was  nipping  cold,  and  the 


SOMETHING  OF  A   SURPRISE.  53 

youth  was  glad  to  get  in  where  it  was  warm  when 
the  physician's  office  in  Cedarville  was  reached. 

"  Certainly,  I  will  come  and  see  your  brother," 
said  Dr.  Fremley.     "  I'll  be  ready  to  go  in  about 
,.ialf  an  hour." 
g     "  Will  you  go  on  horseback?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Then  I'll  wait  in  town  and  go  back  with  you," 
said  Dick.  "  I  wish  to  make  a  purchase  or 
two." 

It  was  agreed  that  the  youth  should  meet  the 
physician  at  half-past  twelve,  and  leaving  his 
horse  in  the  latter's  stable,  Dick  walked  down  the 
main  street  of  Cedarville. 

He  had  his  Christmas  money  with  him,  and 
entering  a  drug  store  he  bought  a  cup  of  hot 
chocolate,  that  warmed  him  considerably.  After 
this  he  selected  a  bottle  of  cologne  and  a  box  of 
chocolates  as  a  Christmas  gift  for  Dora. 

Opposite  to  the  drug  store  was  a  stationery 
and  book  store,  and  here  Dick  procured  a  fancy 
floral  calendar  for  Mrs.  Stahhnope  and  an  inter 
esting  girl's  book  for  Dora, 

From  the  store  Dick  could  obtain  a  side  view 
of  the  Cedarville  Hotel,  which  stood  on  a  corner 
up  the  street,  and  having  paid  for  his  purchases 
the  youth  stood  near  the  door  and  watched  the 
hotel,  wondering  at  the  same  time  if  he  would  see 
anything  of  Dan  Baxter. 


54        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Presently  a  number  of  men  came  from  the  bar 
room  of  the  hotel  and  moved  in  various  direc 
tions.  With  one  of  these  was  the  youth  for 
whom  Dick  was  looking. 

Dan  Baxter  and  his  companion  moved  in  the 
direction  of  the  lake  shore,  and  Dick  lost  no  time 
in  following  the  pair. 

The  man  with  Baxter  was  a  stranger  to  Dick, 
but  he  showed  by  his  manner  that  he  was  a  rough 
individual,  and  when  he  talked  he  did  a  great  deal 
of  swearing,  which,  however,  will  not  appear  in 
his  conversation  in  these  pages. 

Having  reached  the  road  running  along  the 
lake  front,  Baxter  and  his  companion,  whose 
name  was  Lemuel  Husty,  passed  northward  past 
a  straggling  row  of  cottages  and  then  on  the  road 
leading  to  the  village  of  Neckport. 

"  I  wish  I  had  time — I'd  follow  them,"  said 
Dick  to  himself,  and  turned  back,  much  disap 
pointed  over  the  fact  that  he  had  hot  had  a  chance 
to  speak  to  Dan  Baxter. 

As  Dick  turned  in  the  direction  of  the  doctor's 
office  once  more  he  was  hailed  by  a  lad  of  the  vil- 
age,  named  Harry  Sharp. 

"Hullo,  Dick  Rover!" 

"  How  are  you,  Harry  ?  How  do  you  like  the 
snow  ?  " 

"  All  right  enough,  only  it  will  spoil  some  of 
the  skating." 


SOMETHING  OF  A   SURPRISE.  55 

"  So  I've  been  thinking,"  answered  Dick,  as 
(the  two  came  closer. 

"  Say,  Dick,  who  do  you  suppose  I  met  a  while 
ago,"  went  on  Harry  Sharp. 

"  I  don't  know — Dan  Baxter?  " 

"That's  the  chap.     How  did  you  guess  it?" 

"  I  saw  him  myself." 

"  I  thought  he  didn't  dare  to  show  himself  ?  " 

"  Well,  he  ought  to  be  arrested,  Harry.  But 
perhaps  having  his  father  in  prison,  and  losing 
most  of  his  money,  is  punishment  enough  for 
him." 

"  I  met  him  in  the  post  office.  He  was  posting 
several  letters." 

"  Did  you  see  the  handwriting  oh  the  let 
ters?" 

"  No.  As  soon  as  he  saw  me  he  slid  out  of 
sight." 

"  I  guess  he  doesn't  fancy  being  recognized. 
By  the  way,  have  you  seen  Captain  Putnam  ?  " 

"  Saw  him  about  an  hour  ago.  I  think  he  was 
going  to  the  Hall." 

"  Good  enough !  I  was  waiting  for  him  to  get 
back." 

A  few  words  more  followed,  and  the  two  boys 
separated,  and  Dick  hurried  to  the  doctor's  office. 
Dr.  Fremley  was  ready  to  leave,  and  soon  the  pair 
were  on  the  way  to  the  Stanhope  cottage. 

Not  wishing  to  give  the  Hall  a  bad  name,  Dick 


S6        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

deemed  it  advisable  to  say  nothing  about  the  fact 
that  Sam  had  been  locked  in  an  ice-cold  room 
without  his  overcoat  or  hat,  and  merely  stated  that 
his  brother  had  exposed  himself. 

"  He  has  a  very  heavy  cold,"  said  the  doctor, 
after  an  examination.  "  If  let  run,  it  would  have 
become  serious,  beyond  a  doubt;  but  I  feel  confi 
dent  I  can  check  it,"  and  he  left  some  medicine 
and  some  plasters. 

As  soon  as  the  doctor  was  gone  Dick  announced 
his  intention  of  returning  to  Putnam  Academy. 
"  The  captain  has  got  back,  and  I  want  to  lay  the 
whole  case  before  him,  and  do  it,  too  while  Sam  is 
still  sick." 

"  Shall  I  go  along?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  No,  I'll  go  alone.  They  may  need  you  here 
on  Sam's  account." 

Dick  was  soon  on  the  way,  riding  another 
horse,  for  the  Stanhopes  now  kept  two.  He  had 
had  a  fine  dinner,  and  felt  in  the  best  of  spirits, 
despite  the  disagreeable  task  before  him.  He  did 
not  doubt  for  a  moment  but  that  Captain  Putnam 
would  side  with  him  and  condemn  the  actions  of 
Jasper  Grinder. 

He  was  still  out  of  sight  of  the  Hall  when  he 
saw  Peleg  Snuggers  riding  toward  him  in  the 
captain's  cutter. 

"  Is  that  you,  Master  Rover ! "  sang  out  the 
man  of  all  work.  "  Where  are  your  brothers  ?  " 


SOMETHING  OF  A   SURPRISE.  57 

"  Safe,  Snuggers.  Has  the  captain  got 
back?" 

"  Yes — got  in  a  couple  of  hours  ago." 
"  Has    he    said    anything    about    our    going 
away?  " 

"  Said  anything?  Just  guess  he  has.  Why, 
the  whole  school  is  so  upset  nobody  knows  what 
he  is  doing.  Do  you  know  what  happened  after 
you  and  your  brothers  ran  away  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  don't.  What  did  happen?  " 
"  Mr.  Grinder  had  a  terrible  row  with  more 
than  a  dozen  of  the  boys,  who  sided  with  what  you 
had  done.  He  got  awfully  mad  at  them,  and  was 
going  to  cane  the  lot,  when  all  of  a  sudden  he  fell 
down  in  a  fit,  just  like  he  was  going  to  die,  and  we 
had  to  work  over  him  'most  an  hour  before  we 
could  bring  him  around." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

JASPER    GRINDER    IS    DISMISSED. 

DICK  was  greatly  surprised  over  the  news 
which  Peleg  Snuggers  conveyed  to  him.  He 
knew  that  Jasper  Grinder  was  an  intesenly  pas 
sionate  man  when  aroused,  as  on  the  occasion  of 
the  attempted  caning,  but  he  had  not  imagined 
that  the  man  would  fall  into  a  fit  while  in  such  a 
condition. 

"  Did  he  come  out  of  the  fit  all  right?  "  he  ques 
tioned  soberly. 

"  When  he  came  around  he  was  as  weak  as  a 
rag,  and  I  and  one  of  the  big  boys  had  to  help  him 
up  to  his  room.  He  stayed  there  the  rest  of  the 
evening,  and  the  other  teachers  had  to  take 
charge." 

"  What  do  they  say  about  the  matter  ?  " 

"  As  soon  as  the  captain  got  back  all  of  'em  got 
in  the  private  office  and  held  a  long  talk.  Then 
the  captain  had  a  talk  with  Mr.  Grinder,  and  after 
that  the  captain  sent  me  off  to  look  for  you.  He 
said  you  must  be  at  the  Lanings,  or  at  Mrs.  Stan 
hope's,  or  else  somewhere  in  Cedarville." 


JASPER  GRINDER  IS  DISMISSED.          59 

"  We  are  stopping  with  Mrs.  Stanhope.  Sani 
is  sick  with  a  heavy  cold." 

"  It's  not  to  be  wondered  at.  Master  Tubbs 
has  a  cold,  too,  and  the  captain  had  Mrs.  Green 
give  him  some  medicine  for  it." 

"  Has  he  punished  Tubbs?  " 

"  No.  He's  awfully  upset,  and  I  don't  think 
he'll  do  anything  right  away,"  concluded  the  gen 
eral  utility  man. 

The  cutter  was  turned  around,  and  Dick  and 
Snuggers  hurried  toward  the  Hall.  Their  com 
ing  was  noticed  by  a  score  of  boys  who  were 
snowballing  each  other  on  the  parade  ground,  and 
a  shout  went  up. 

"  Dick  Rover  is  coming  back!  Snuggers  has 
brought  Dick  Rover  back !  " 

"  Take  care  of  the  horse,  Snuggers,"  said  Dick. 
"  Do  the  right  thing,  and  I  won't  forget  to  pay 
you  at  Christmas-time." 

"All  right,  Master  Rover;  thank  you,"  an 
swered  the  man  of  all  work. 

Dick  was  at  once  surrounded,  but  before  he 
could  answer  any  questions  he  saw  Captain  Put 
nam,  appear  at  one  of  the  windows  and  at  once 
went  inside  to  greet  him. 

"  Well,  Rover,  what  does  all  this  mean?  "  de 
manded  the  head  of  the  school,  but  there  was  not 
much  sternness  in  his  tone 

"  It  means,  Captain  Putnam,  that  Sam,  Tom, 


60        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

and  I  couldn't  stand  the  treatment  we  received 
from  Mr.  Grinder.  For  a  little  set-to  which  Sam 
and  Tubbs  had  in  the  gymnasium  Mr.  Grinder 
put  Sam  in  the  ice-cold  storeroom,  and  was  going 
to  keep  him  there  all  night,  with  nothing  but  stale 
bread  to  eat  and  cold  water  to  drink.  If  Sam  had 
remained  in  the  storeroom  he  would  have  died 
from  the  effects  of  it.  As  it  is,  he  is  now  in  bed 
at  Mrs.  Stanhope's,  and  we  had  to  call  in  Dr. 
Fremley  to  attend  him." 

"Is  he  very  ill,  Rover?  Tell  me  the  exact 
truth." 

"  I  have  never  told  you  anything  else,  Captain 
Putnam.  No,  I  don't  think  he  is  very  ill,  but  he's 
got  a  bad  cold.  He  is  very  hoarse,  and  he  com 
plained  of  such  a  pain  in  the  chest  that  Mrs. 
Stanhope  put  on  some  plasters,  and  when  the  doc~ 
tor  came  he  left  some  more." 

"  Humph!  "  Captain  Putnam  began  to  walk 
up  and  down  his  private  office.  "  What  did  you 
tdlDr.  Fremley?" 

"  Nothing  but  that  Sam  had  exposed  himself. 
I  didn't  want  to  give  the  school  a  black  name. 
But  one  thing  is  certain,  we  can't  remain  here  if 
Mr.  Grinder  is  going  to  stay.  I  shall  write  to 
my  father  and  tell  him  the  full  particulars." 

"  It  will  not  be  necessary  to  do  so,  Richard." 
The  captain  caught  Dick  by  the  shoulder.  "  I 
have  investigated  this  affair,  and  while  I  find  that 


JASPER  GRINDER  IS  DISMISSED.  6 1 

Sam  was  to  blame,  and  Tom  and  you,  too,  yet  I 
am  convinced  that  Mr.  Grinder  exceeded  his  au 
thority  here.  He  had  no  business  to  put  Sam  in 
the  storeroom  and  Master  Tubbs  in  the  stone  cell 
in  this  freezing  weather.  More  than  that,  some 
thing  happened  after  you  left  that  shows  plainly 
Mr.  Grinder  is  not  the  proper  person  to  be  a 
teacher  here,  and  from  to-day  I  intend  to  dispense 
with  his  services." 

Dick  knew  what  the  captain  referred  to,  the 
falling  of  the  teacher  into  his  passionate  fit  on  the 
floor,  but  he  said  nothing  on  that  point,  for  in  a 
way  he  felt  sorry  for  one  who  could  control  him 
self  so  little. 

"  I  am  glad  we  won't  have  to  put  up  with  him, 
sir,  any  longer.  In  one  way,  he  is  worse  than  Mr. 
Crabtree  was." 

"Let  us  drop  the  whole  subject,  Richard.  I 
have  not  been  satisfied  with  Mr.  Grinder  for  some 
time  past,  and  had  in  view  a  teacher  to  take  his 
place  before  this  happened.  The  new  teacher 
will  come  after  the  holidays,  and  I  feel  certain  all 
the  students  will  like  him  fully  as  much  as  they 
like  Mr.  Strong." 

"  We  won't  ask  for  anybody  better  than  Mn 
'Strong— or  yourself,"  answered  Dick,  with  a 
smile. 

A  talk  lasting  quarter  of  an  hour  followed,  and 
it  was  decided  that  Dick  should  return  to  the 


62        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Stanhope  cottage,  to  tell  Tom  and  Sam  what  turn 
affairs  had  taken.  Then  Tom  was  to  come  to  the 
Hall,  leaving  Dick  to  look  after  Sam. 

It  was  nightfall  before  Dick  got  back  to  the 
cottage.  Of  course  his  brothers  and  the  others 
listened  to  his  story  with  interest.  Both  Sam  and 
Tom  felt  greatly  relieved. 

"  If  Grinder  keeps  on  he'll  kill  himself  in  one  of 
his  fits,"  said  Sam.  "  I  hope  he  leaves  before  I 
go  back  to  school." 

"  If  I  was  you,  I  wouldn't  go  back  until  he  does 
leave,"  said  Tom.  "  I'm  sure  Mrs.  Stanhope  will 
let  you  stay  here;  won't  you?  " 

"  To  be  sure,  Tom,"  answered  the  lady  of  the 
cottage.  "  But  now  Captain  Putnam  has  made 
up  his  mind,  you  may  be  sure  Mr.  Grinder  will 
not  remain  at  the  Hall  many  days." 

"  Perhaps  he'll  go  to-night,"  said  Dora.  "  The 
captain  surely  wont  wish  him  at  the  Hall  over 
Sunday." 

Tom  remained  with  his  brothers  until  evening- 
then  started  for  the  Hall  on  foot,  not  caring  to 
bother  with  a  horse.  The  road  was  now  well 
broken,  so  he  had  no  trouble  in  making  the 
journey. 

When  he  arrived  at  the  Academy  he  found  the 
tioys  assembled  in  the  classroom,  in  charge  of  one 
of  the  under-teachers. 

"  You  cannot  see  Captain  Putnam  at  present,** 


JASPER  GRINDER  IS  DISMISSED.          63 

said  the  teacher.  "  You  will  have  to  remain  here 
with  the  other  pupils  until  he  is  at  leisure." 

"  Something  must  be  wrong,"  murmured  Tom, 
as  he  slipped  in  a  seat  next  to  George  Granbury. 

"  I  think  the  captain  is  getting  rid  of  old1 
Grinder,"  was  the  whispered  reply.  "  He's  afraid 
we'd  go  out  and  give  him  three  groans  when  he 
left." 

"  I  see.  Well,  it's  best  to  let  him  go  quietly. 
Good  riddance  to  him." 

"  That's  what  all  the  boys  say,  although  some 
are  sorry  he  had  the  fit." 

"  So  am  I  sorry;  but  he  brought  it  on  him 
self." 

Presently  there  was  loud  knocking  in  the  front 
of  the  building  and  the  slamming  of  a  door. 
Then  a  trunk  was  dumped  into  the  captain's  cut 
ter,  and  the  horse  started  off,  carrying  Peleg 
Snuggers  and  Jasper  Grinder  behind  him. 

When  the  captain  came  into  the  classroom  he 
was  pale,  and  pulled  nervously  on  his  mustache. 
Evidently  his  task  of  getting  rid  of  the  passionate 
teacher  had  not  been  a  light  one.  He  said  but 
little,  and  shortly  after  the  boys  were  dismissed 
and  sent  to  bed. 

Sunday  continued  bright  and  clear,  but  it  was 
so  bitter  cold  that  but  few  of  the  students  went  to 
church  and  Sunday  school.  Tom  was  anxious  to 
tear  how  Sam  was  getting  along,  and  in  the  after- 


64        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

noon  Captain  Putnam  himself  drove  him  to  the 
Stanhope  cottage  in  the  cutter. 

It  was  found  that  the  youngest  Rover  was  feel 
ing  much  better,  although  his  hoarseness  had  not 
left  him.  He  said  he  was  sure  he  could  go  back 
to  school  the  next  day. 

"  We  had  a  visit  from  Jasper  Grinder,"  said 
Dick.  "  He  insisted  on  stopping  here  in  spite  of 
all  Snuggers  could  do  to  stop  him." 

"  And  what  did  he  say  ?  "  asked  the  captain 
anxiously. 

"  Oh,  he  was  in  a  terrible  rage,  and  threatened 
to  sue  my  father  because,  as  he  put  it,  we  had 
driven  him  from  earning  a  good  living.  I  could 
hardly  get  him  out  of  the  house,  and  when  he  left 
he  picked  up  a  big  chunk  of  ice  and  snow  and 
hurled  it  through  the  sitting-room  window  at 
Sam.  I  believe  the  man  isn't  quite  right  in  his 
head." 

"  It  certainly  looks  like  it,"  was  the  captain's 
grave  response. 

"  Did  Snuggers  leave  him  in  Cedarville?  " 

"  Yes.  But  Snuggers  didn't  know  where  he 
'went  after  that,  excepting  that  he  called  at  the 
post  office  for  some  letters." 

"  I  hope  I  never  have  anything  to  do  with  him 
again,"  said  Sam,  with  a  shiver. 

"  I  do  not  believe  he  will  bother  you  in  the 
future,"  returned  the  captain.  "  When  he  comes 


JASPER  GRINDER  IS  DISMISSED.  65 

to  his  sober  senses  he  will  realize  fully  how  fool 
ishly  he  has  acted." 

As  Sara  was  so  much  better  and  needed  no  care 
that  Mrs.  Stanhope  and  Dora  were  not  willing  to 
give  him,  Tom  returned  to  the  Hall  with  Dick  and 
Captain  Putnam,  after  supper  at  the  widow's  cot 
tage  The  sleigh  ride  to  the  school  was  delight 
ful,  for  the  road  was  now  in  excellent  shape,  while 
overhead  the  stars  shone  down  like  so  many  glit 
tering  diamonds. 


&  RACE  ON  THE  ICE,  AND  WHAT  FOLLOWED. 

AFTER  the  events  just  narrated  several  days 
passed  quietly  enough  at  Putnam  Hall.  In  the 
meantime  the  weather  continued  clear,  and  the 
boys  took  it  upon  themselves  to  clear  off  a  part 
of  the  lake  for  skating.  Then,  one  night  came  a 
strong  wind,  and  the  next  morning  they  found  a 
space  of  cleared  ice  nearly  half  a  mile  long. 

"  Now  for  some  fine  skating !  "  exclaimed  Tom, 
as  he  rushed  back  to  the  Hall  after  an  inspection 
of  the  lake's  smooth  surface.  "  We  can  have  all 
the  racing  we  wish." 

"  It's  a  pity  Sam  can't  go  out  yet,"  returned 
Dick.  Sam  was  back  to  the  school,  but  his  cold 
had  not  entirely  left  him. 

"  Never  mind;  here  are  several  new  magazines 
he  can  read,"  returned  Tom,  who  had  been  to 
town  with  Snuggers  on  an  errand  and  had  pur 
chased  them  at  the  stationery  store. 

"  I  would  just  as  soon  read  now,"  said  Sam. 
"  The  magazines  look  mighty  interesting." 

Just  then  Fred  Garrison  came  in,  accompanied 
by  George  Granbury.  They  had  been  down  to 

66 


A  RACE  ON  THE  ICE.  67 

Cedarville  to  purchase  some  skates  and  a  new 
pair  of  shoes  for  George. 

"  Hullo,  what  do  you  think  we  saw  in  Cedar 
ville  1  "  cried  Fred,  as  soon  as  he  caught  sight 
of  the  Rovers. 

"  Lots  of  snow,"  suggested  Tom  dryly. 

"  Yes — and  more." 

"  A  mighty  dull  town,"  suggested  Sam* 

"  We  saw  Dan  Baxter." 

"  What  was  he  doing?  " 

"  He  was  walking  down  the  street.  And  who 
do  you  suppose  was  with  him  ?  Mr.  Grinder !  " 

"  Grinder !  "  came  simultaneously  from  Tom 
and  Dick. 

"Yes,  Grinder.  And  they  seemed  to  be  on 
good  terms  with  each  other,"  put  in  George. 

"  I  could  hardly  believe  my  eyes  at  first,"  went 
on  Fred.  "  But  there  they  were,  as  plain  as 
day." 

"  It's  very  odd,"  mused  Dick.  "  What  should 
bring  them  together?  " 

Nobody  could  answer  that  question. 

"I  don't  believe  they  are  up  to  any  good," 
said  Tom. 

"  I  hope  Grinder  doesn't  join  hands  with  Bax 
ter  in  plotting  against  us,"  came  from  Dick. 

The  matter  was  talked  over  for  some  time,  but 
no  satisfactory  conclusion  could  be  reached,  and 
presently  the  boys  separated,  some  to  go  skating 


68         ROVER  BOYS  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS. 

and  others  to  attend  to  their  studies  for  the 
morrow. 

Down  at  the  lake  the  scene  was  an  animated 
one.  Boys  were  flying  in  every  direction,  and 
mingled  with  them  were  a  dozen  or  more  girls 
and  a  few  grown  persons.  George  Strong,  the 
head  teacher,  was  there,  enjoying  himself  fully  as 
much  as  the  pupils  who  loved  him. 

"  I'll  race  you,  Mr.  Strong!  "  sang  out  one  of 
the  older  boys,  Tom  Mardell. 

"  Done,  Master  Mardell,"  was  the  teacher's 
answer.  "  To  yonder  rock  and  return."  And 
in  a  moment  more  the  pair  were  off. 

"  Hurrah !  A  race  between  Mr.  Strong  and 
Tom  Mardell !  "  came  in  a  shout  from  a  number 
of  the  students,  and  soon  there  was  a  general 
"  lining  up  "  to  see  how  it  would  terminate. 

"  Go  in,  Tom !  "  shouted  Tom  Rover.  "  Don't 
let  him  beat  you !  " 

"  Mr.  Strong  is  behind !  "  came  presently. 
"  Tom  is  going  to  win  out,  sure !  " 

On  and  on  went  the  skaters,  until  the  rock  was 
gained.  Then  Tom  Mardell  turned  so  suddenly 
that  he  ran  full  tilt  into  the  teacher  with  whom 
he  was  racing.  Both  spun  around  and  came 
down  on  the  ice  with  a  crash. 

"Oh!"  gasped  Mardell.  "I  didn't  mean  to 
fothat!" 

"  I — I  know  you  didn't !  "  panted  Mr.  Strong. 


*A  RACE  ON  THE  ICE.  69 

**  You  have  finished  the  race  in  fine  shape,  I  must 
declare !  "  And  then  he  arose  slowly  to  his  feet 
and  Mardell  followed.  But  nobody  was  seriously 
hurt,  and  in  a  moment  more  both  skated  off  hand 
In  hand. 

Dick  was  looking  for  Dora  Stanhope.,  and  pres 
ently  she  appeared,  in  a  pretty  fur  coat  and  a 
jaunty  fur  cap.  He  put  on  her  skates  for  her, 
and  they  skated  off,  with  many  a  side  wink  from 
some  of  the  boys. 

"  Dick's  head  over  heels,"  said  one  lad,  to 
Tom. 

"  Well,  I  guess  you'd  be,  too,  Urner,  if  you 
could  get  such  a  nice  girl  to  notice  you,"  returned 
Tom  dryly.  And  then  he  added :  "  You  must 
remember  we  are  all  old  friends." 

"  Oh,  I  know  that;  and  I  was  only  joking." 

A  grand  race,  open  to  all  comers,  had  been 
arranged  by  the  students  of  the  Hall  and  of 
Pornell  Academy,  a  rival  institute  of  learning, 
which  has  already  figured  in  other  volumes  of 
this  series.  The  Pornell  boys  were  out  in  force, 
and  they  were  sure  that  one  of  their  number 
would  win  the  silver  napkin  ring,  which  was  the 
first  prize,  and  another  the  story  book,  which  con 
stituted  the  second  prize. 

Of  this  race  a  gentleman  from  Cedarville, 
named  Mr.  Richards,  was  to  be  the  starter  and 
judge.  The  course  was  a  short  mile,  down  the 


70        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

lake  and  bock  again.  The  Pornell  boys  to  enter 
were  named  Gray,  Wardham,  Gussy,  and  De 
Long.  The  contestants  from  Putnam  Hall  were 
Tom  Rover,  Fred  Garrison,  Tubbs,  and  a  lad 
named  Hollbrook. 

"Are  you  ready?"  asked  Mr.  Richards,  after 
lining  the  boys  up  and  telling  them  of  the  con 
ditions  of  the  race. 

There  was  a  dead  silence. 

"  Go!  "  shouted  the  starter. 

Away  went  the  eight  skaters,  side  by  side, 
each  striking  out  bravely.  Fred  was  in  the  lead, 
with  two  Pornell  boys  a  close  second,  while  Tom 
Rover  was  fourth. 

"  Go  in,  Tom,  you  must  win !  "  sang  out  Didc 
excitedly. 

"  Hurrah  for  Tubby ! "  came  from  several 
others.  "  He's  crawling  up !  " 

"  Go  in,  Gray !  "  came  in  a  shout  from  some 
Pornell  sympathizers.  Gray  was  one  of  the  pair 
striving  for  second  place.  Now  he  shot  ahead, 
and  in  a  second  more  was  close  upon  Fred 
Garrison's  heels. 

The  pace  was  truly  terrific  from  the  very  start, 
and  long  before  the  turn  was  gained  De  Long  and 
Hollbrook  dropped  out,  satisfied  that  they  could 
not  win. 

Gray,  the  leader  of  the  Pornell  contingent,  was 
a  tall,  lanky,  and  powerful  fellow,  and  every 


A  RACE  ON  THE  ICE.  71 

stroke  he  took  told  well  in  his  favor.  The  turn 
ing  point  was  hardly  rounded  when  he  began  to 
crawl  up  to  Fred,  and  then  he  gradually  passed 
him. 

"  Hurrah !  Gray  is  ahead ! "  shouted  his 
friends. 

"  Here  is  where  Pornell  wins  the  race!  "  added 
one  enthusiastic  sympathizer. 

Fred's  pace  had  been  too  sharp  from  the  very 
start,  and  now  he  slowly  but  surely  dropped  back 
to  second  place,  and  then  to  third. 

But  then  Tom  Rover  began  to  crawl  up.     He 
had  held  himself  slightly  in  reserve.     Now  he 
"  let  himself  out."     Whiz !  whiz !  went  the  pol 
ished  pair  of  steels  under  him,  and  soon  Ward- 
ham,  the  fellow  who  had  held  second  place,  was 
passed,  dropping  behind  Fred,  thus  taking  fourth 
place.     Then  Tom  came  up  on  Gray's  heels. 
"  Hurrah  for  Tom  Rover!  " 
"  Go  it,  Tom,  don't  let  him  beat  you!  " 
"  Go  it,  Gray,  Tom  Rover  is  at  your  heels !  " 
Gray  did  not  dare  to  look  back,  but  at  the 
latter  cry  he  did  his  best  to  increase  his  speed. 
,  So  did  Tom,  and  while  the  finishing  line  was  still 
a  hundred  yards  distant  he  came  up  side  by  side 
with  Gray. 
"It's  a  tie!" 

"  No,  Gray  is  a  little  ahead  yet!  " 
"  Go  in,  Gray,  don't  let  him  beat  you! " 


;a   ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"Tom  Rover  to  the  front!  Go  it,  Tom,  for 
the  glory  of  old  Putnam  Hall !  " 

A  wild  yelling  broke  out  on  every  side.  On 
and  on  went  the  two  boys,  with  Fred  Garrison 
not  two  yards  behind  them.  That  the  finish 
would  be  a  close  one  there  was  no  question.  The 
line  was  but  a  hundred  feet  away;  now  but 
seventy-five;  now  but  fifty.  Still  the  leaders 
kept  side  by  side,  neither  gaining  an  inch.  Surely 
it  would  be  a  tie.  The  yelling  increased  until 
the  noise  was  deafening. 

And  then  of  a  sudden  Tom  Rover  shot  ahead. 
How  it  was  done  nobody  knew,  and  Tom  himself 
couldn't  explain  it  when  asked  afterward.  But 
ahead  he  went,  like  an  arrow  shot  from  a  bow,  and 
crossed  the  line  six  feet  in  advance  of  Gray. 

"  Hurrah !  Tom  Rover  has  won !  " 

"  Told  you  Tom  would  do  it!  " 

"  Three  cheers  for  Putnam  Hall !  " 

"And  Fred  Garrison  came  in  only  one  yard 
behind  Gray,  too,  and  Tubby  is  a  pretty  good 
fourth." 

"  This  is  Putnam  Hall  day,  thank  you !  " 

The  cheering  increased,  and  Tom  was  imme- 
iliately  surrounded  by  a  host  of  admirers. 

Gray  felt  very  sore,  and  wanted  to  leave  the 
pond  at  once,  but  before  he  could  do  so  Tom 
skated  up  to  him  and  held  out  his  hand 

"You  came  pretty  dose  to  beating  me/'  he 


'A  RACE  ON  THE  ICE.  73 

said.  "  I  can't  really  say  how  I  got  ahead  At  the 
finish." 

"  I — I  guess  my  skate  slipped,  or  something," 
stammered  Gray,  and  shook  hands.  Tom's  can 
dor  took  away  the  keen  edge  of  the  defeat. 

The  Putnam  Hall  boys  were  wild  with  delight, 
and  insisted  upon  carrying  Tom  on  their  shoul 
ders  around  the  pond.  A  great  crowd  followed, 
and  nobody  noticed  how  this  made  the  ice  bend 
and  crack. 

"Be  careful  there!"  shouted  Mr.  Strong 
warningly.  "  There  are  too  many  of  you  in  a 
bunch ! "  But  ere  he  had  finished  the  sentence 
there  came  another  loud  cracking,  and  in  a  twinkle 
a  section  of  the  ice  went  down,  plunging  fully  a 
dozen  lads  into  the  icy  water  below. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  END  OF  THE  TERM 

**  T&c  ice  has  gone  down !  " 
'*  Some  of  the  boys  will  be  drowned ! " 
"  Get  »onie  boards  and  a  rope,  quick !  " 
These  arid  a  score  of  other  cries  rang  out.     In 
the  meantime  those  near  to  the  hole  skated  with 
all  speed  to  one  place  of  safety  or  another. 

Some  of  the  imperiled  boys  who  had  not  gone 
down  very  deeply  managed  to  scramble  out  with 
wet  feet  or  wet  lower  limbs  only,  but  when  the 
crowd  had  drawn  back  it  was  seen  that  three  boys 
were  floundering  in  the  chilling  water  over  their 
heads.  These  boys  were  George  Granbury  and 
Frank  Harrington,  who  had  been  supporting 
Tom  on  their  shoulders,  and  Tom  himself,  who 
had  been  dropped  into  the  opening  head  first  by 
the  frightened  lads. 

Realizing  that  something  must  be  done  at  once, 
Mr.  Strong  ran  to  the  boathouse,  which  was  close 
at  hand,  and  soon  reappeared,  carrying  a  long 
plank.  He  was  followed  by  a  boy  with  a  rope, 
and  several  boys  brought  more  planks  and  more 
ropes. 

t* 


THE  END  OF   THE   TERM.  75 

When  the  first  plank  was  pushed  out  Tom  lost 
no  time  in  grasping  hold  of  it.  He  crawled  to  a 
safe  place  on  hands  and  knees,  but  was  so  nearly 
paralyzed  he  could  not  stand  up. 

"  I'll  carry  him  up  to  the  Hall/'  said  Peleg 
Snuggers,  who  had  chanced  upon  the  scene,  and 
without  ceremony  he  picked  Tom  up  in  his  strong 
arms  and  made  off  for  the  school  building  on  a 
run. 

After  Tom  came  Frank  Harrington,  who 
caught  hold  of  one  end  of  a  rope  tossed  toward 
the  hole.  As  soon  as  he  shouted  he  had  the  rope 
secure,  a  dozen  boys  pulled  upon  it,  and  Frank 
was  literally  dragged  from  his  icy  bath.  Once 
on  shore  he  was  started  on  a  run  for  the  Hall, 
some  boys  rushing  ahead  to  obtain  dry  clothing 
for  both  him  and  the  others. 

Poor  George  Granbury  was  now  the  only  one 
left  in  danger,  and  matters  appeared  to  be  going 
hard  with  him.  He  clutched  at  one  of  the  planks 
thrust  toward  him,  but  his  hold  slipped  and  down 
he  went  out  of  sight. 

"  He'll  be  drowned !  He's  too  cold  to  save 
himself !  "  was  the  cry  of  several  who  were  watch 
ing  him. 

"  Be  careful,  boys !  "  came  warningly  from  Mr. 
Strong.  "  Be  careful,  or  somebody  else  will 
get  in ! " 

"  Mr.  Strong,  if  you  will  hold  the  plank,  I'll 


76        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

crawl  out  and  get  hold  of  Granbury,"  came  from 
Dick,  in  a  determined  voice. 

"  Rover,  can  you  do  it?  " 

"  I  feel  certain  I  can.     Hold  tight,  please." 

Dick  leaped  upon  the  plank  and  threw  himself 
flat.  Then  he  crawled  out  as  fast  as  he  could, 
until  he  was  on  the  end  over  the  open  water. 
Holding  to  the  plank  with  one  hand  he  reached 
out  to  grasp  George's  shoulder  with  the  other. 

"  Sa — save  me !  "  gasped  the  drowning  boy. 

"  Give  me  your  hand,  George,"  called  Dick. 

Granbury  tried  to  do  so,  but  the  effort  was  a 
failure,  for  the  cold  had  so  numbed  him  he  could 
scarcely  move.  Reaching  as  far  as  he  could, 
Dick  caught  a  portion  of  his  coat  and  drew  the 
helpless  boy  toward  him. 

The  ice  cracked  ominously,  but  did  not  break. 
Mr.  Strong  warned  the  others  still  further 
back. 

Slowly  but  surely  Dick  raised  George  to  a  level 
of  the  plank.  Then  with  an  extra  effort  he 
hauled  the  half -drowned  boy  up. 

"  Now  haul  in  on  the  plank,"  he  called,  and  Mr. 
Strong  and  two  boys  did  so  immediately.  In  a 
moment  more  danger  from  drowning  was  a  thing 
of  the  past  for  George  Granbury. 

A  cheer  went  up  because  of  Dick's  heroic 
action,  but  this  was  instantly  hushed  as  George 
was  seen  to  stagger  back  and  fall  as  if  dead 


THE  END  OF  THE  TERM.  77 

Instantly  Mr.  Strong  picked  the  boy  up  in  his 
arms  and  ran  toward  the  Hall. 

"  Oh,  Dick,  how  noble  of  you !  "  It  was  Dora 
Stanhope  who  spoke,  as  she  came  up  and  placed 
a  trembling  little  hand  on  his  arm.  "  And  how 
glad  I  am  that  you  didn't  get  in  while  doing  it" 
And  her  eyes  rilled  with  tears. 

"  I — I'm  glad  too,  Dora,"  he  said  brokenly. 
And  then  added :  "  Excuse  me,  but  I  guess  I'd 
better  go  up  and  see  how  Tom  is  making  out." 

"  To  be  sure,  and  let  me  know  if  it's  all  right," 
she  replied. 

Once  inside  the  Hall  Dick  learned  that  Tom 
had  been  put  into  a  warm  bed.  He  was  appar 
ently  none  the  worse  for  his  mishap,  and  likely 
to  be  as  full  of  life  and  fun  as  ever  on  the  morrow. 

Poor  Granbury,  however,  was  not  so  well  off. 
It  took  some  time  to  restore  him  to  consciousness, 
and  while  Captain  Putnam  and  Mr.  Strong  put 
him  to  bed,  with  hot-water  bags  to  warm  him  up, 
Peleg  Snuggers  was  sent  off  post-haste  for  a 
doctor.  As  a  result  of  the  adventure  Granbury 
had  to  remain  in  bed  for  the  best  part  of  a  week. 

"  I  shan't  forget  you  for  what  you  did,"  he 
said  to  Dick,  when  able  to  sit  up.  "  You  saved 
my  life."  And  many  agreed  that  what  George 
Granbury  said  was  true.  As  for  Dora  Stanhope, 
she  looked  upon  the  elder  Rover  as  more  of  a  hero 
than  ever. 


78        ROVER  BOYS  IN   THE' MOUNTAINS. 

After  the  mishap  at  the  races  on  the  ice  the 
time  flew  by  swiftly  until  the  Christmas  holidays. 
Before  going  home  for  Christmas  Dick  called 
upon  the  Stanhopes  and  gave  them  the  gifts  he 
had  purchased,  over  which  they  were  much 
pleased.  For  Dick  Dora  had  worked  a  pretty 
scarf,  of  which  he  was  justly  proud.  Mrs.  Stan 
hope  had  books  for  all  the  boys,  something  which 
was  always  to  their  liking.  The  Rovers  did  not 
forget  the  Lanings,  nor  were  they  forgotten  by 
these  old  friends. 

"  And  now  for  home.  Hurrah !  "  shouted 
Sam,  on  the  way  to  Cedarville.  "  I  must  say  I'm 
just  a  bit  anxious  to  see  the  old  place  once  more." 

"  Yes,  and  see  father,  and  Uncle  Randolph  and 
Aunt  Martha,"  put  in  Dick. 

"  Don't  forget  Alexander  Pop,"  put  in  Tom, 
referring  to  the  colored  man  who  had  once  been  a 
waiter  at  the  Hall,  and  who  was  how  in  the 
Rover  employ. 

"And  Jack  Ness  and  the  rest,"  put  in  Sam, 
"  I  guess  we'll  be  glad  enough  to  see  everybody." 

When  the  boys  arrived  at  Ithaca  they  found 
there  had  been  a  freight  smash-up  on  the  railroad, 
and  that  they  would  have  to  wait  for  five  or  six 
hours  for  a  train  to  take  them  home.  This  would 
bring  them  to  Oak  Run,  their  railroad  station,  at 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

"  I  move  we  stay  in  Ithaca  over  night,"  said 


THE  END  OF   THE   TERM.  79 

Tom.  "  If  we  got  to  Oak  Run  at  three  in  the 
morning,  what  would  we  do?  There  would  be 
no  one  there  to  meet  us,  and  it's  a  beastly  hour 
for  rousing  anybody  out." 

So  they  decided  to  put  up  at  a  hotel  in  Ithaca, 
and  went  around  to  a  new  place  called  the 
Students'  Rest.  The  hotel  was  fairly  well 
filled,  but  they  secured  a  large  apartment  with  two 
double  beds. 

"  There's  a  nice  concert  on  this  evening  by  a 
college  glee  club,"  said  Sam.  "  I  move  we  get 
tickets  and  go." 

"  Second  the  motion,"  said  Tom  promptly. 

"  The  motion  is  put  and  carried,"  put  in  Diclc 
just  as  promptly.  "  I  trust,  though,  the  concert 
don't  make  us  weep." 

"  They  won't  know  we're  there,  so  perhaps  they 
won't  try  it  on  too  hard,"  said  Sam,  and  there 
the  students'  slang  came  to  an  end  for  the  time 
being. 

The  concert  was  quite  to  their  taste,  and  they 
were  surprised,  when  it  was  over,  to  learn  that  it 
was  after  eleven  o'clock. 

"  I  hadn't  any  idea  it  was  so  late,"  exclaimed 
Dick.  "  We'd  better  be  getting  back  to  the  hotel, 
or  we  won't  get  our  money's  worth  out  of  that 
room." 

"That's  right,"  laughed  Tom.  "Although,, 
to  tell  the  truth,  I'm  not  very  sleepy." 


8o        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Several  blocks  were  covered  when  Sam,  who 
was  looking  across  the  street,  uttered  a  cry  of 
astonishment. 

"  Look !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  At  what  ?  "  asked  both  Tom  and  Dick. 

"  Over  in  front  of  that  clothing  store.  There 
is  Dan  Baxter,  and  Jasper  Grinder  is  with 
him!" 

"  Sam  is  right,"  came  from  Dick.  "  They 
must  have  struck  up  some  sort  of  a  friendship,  or 
they  wouldn't  be  here  together." 

"  Let's  go  over  and  see  what  Baxter  has  to  say 
for  himself,"  said  Tom  boldly. 

"All  right,"  returned  Dick.  "But  we  want 
to  keep  out  of  a  row;  remember  that." 

They  crossed  the  street  and  walked  straight  up 
to  Baxter  and  Jasper  Grinder,  who  were  holding 
an  animated  conversation  in  the  doorway  of  a 
clothing  establishment  which  was  closed  for  the 
night. 

As  they  came  up,  Sam  caught  the  words, 
"  There  is  money  there,  sure,"  coming  from  Bax 
ter.  He  paid  no  attention  to  the  words  at  the 
time,  but  remembered  them  long  afterward,  and 
with  good  reason. 

"  Hullo,  Baxter !  "  said  Dick,  halting  in  front 
of  the  bully. 

Dan  Baxter  gave  a  start,  as  if  detected  in  some 
wrong  act.  Then,  as  the  light  from  an  electric 


THE  END  OP  THE  TERM.  Si 

lamp  shone  upon  Dick's  face,  he  glared  sourly  at 
the  oldest  Rover. 

"  Where  did  you  come  from  ?  "  he  asked,  and 
then,  seeing  the  other  Rovers,  added :  "  Been 
following  me,  I  suppose?  " 

"  No,  we  haven't  been  following  you,"  said 
Dick.  "  We  just  came  from  the  college  boys' 
concert  in  the  hall  down  the  street." 

Jasper  Grinder  looked  as  sour  as  did  Dan  Bax 
ter.  Then  he  shook  his  finger  in  Dick's  face, 

"  I  haven't  forgotten  you,  Richard  Rover,"  'he 
said  bitterly.  "  And  I  am  'not  likely  to  forget 
you." 

"As  you  please,  Mr.  Grinder,"  was  the  coo! 
rejoinder. 

"  And  I  shan't  forget  you,  Jasper  Grinder,"  put 
in  Sam.  "  You  were  the  means  of  my  going  to 
bed  with  a  heavy  cold." 

"  Bah !  it  was  all  put  on,"  exclaimed  Jasper 
Grinder.  "  Had  I  had  my  way,  I  would  have 
kept  you  in  the  storeroom  all  night,  and  flogged 
you  beside." 

"  Captain  Putnam  did  a  good  thing  when  he 
dismissed  you,"  put  in  Tom.  "  It's  a  pity  he 
ever  took  on  such  a  cold-hearted  and  miserly 
fellow." 

"  You  Rovers  think  you  are  on  top,"  said  Dan 
Baxter  savagely.  "  But  you  won't  stay  on  top 
long,  I'll  give  you  my  word  on  that." 


8*        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it? "  asked 
Dick,  hot  without  considerable  curiosity. 

"  Never  mind;  you'll  learn  when  the  proper 
time  comes." 

"  Is  your  dad  going  to  try  to  break  jail  again  ?  " 
asked  Sam. 

"  It's  none  of  your  business  what  he  does — or 
what  I  do,  either." 

"  We'll  make  it  our  business  if  you  try  any  of 
your  games  on  us  again,"  said  Dick.  "  We've 
stood  enough  from  you  and  your  kind,  and  we 
don't  intend  to  stand  any  more." 

"  Are  you  going  back  to  school  after  the  holi 
days  ?  "  asked  Dan  Baxter,  after  a  pause. 

"  That's  our  business,"  answered  Tom. 

"  All  right;  you  needn't  answer  the  question 
if  you  don't  want  to." 

"What  do  you  want  to  know  for?"  asked 
Sam. 

"  Oh !  nothing  in  particular.  I  suppose  it's  a 
good  place  for  you  to  go  to.  You  are  all  Cap 
tain  Putnam's  pets,  and  he  won't  make  you  do  a 
thing  you  don't  like,  or  make  you  study  either, 
if  your  father  shells  out  to  him." 

"  We  study  a  great  deal  more  than  you  ever 
studied,  Baxter,"  said  Dick. 

"  Let  them  go,"  cried  Jasper  Grinder,  in  deep 
irritation.  "  I  want  nothing  to  do  with  them," 
and  he  turned  his  back  on  the  Rovers. 


THE  END  OF   TH&  TERM.  83 

"We're  willing  to  go,"  said  Dick.  "But, 
Baxter,  I  warn  you  against  doing  anything  in 
the  future.  You'll  only  put  your  foot  into  it." 

So  speaking,  Dick  walked  away,  and  Tom  and 
Sam  followed  him.  Baxter  shook  his  fist  at 
them,  and  Jasper  Grinder  did  the  same. 

"  They're  a  bad  team,"  said  Tom,  as  they 
walked  to  the  hotel.  "  If  they  try,  perhaps  they 
can  give  us  lots  of  trouble." 


CHAPTER  XL 

HOME    FOR    THE    HOLIDAYS. 

"  HURRAH  !  Here  we  are  again !  How  nat* 
Wral  Oak  Run  looks ! "  exclaimed  Tom  on  the 
following  day,  as  the  long  train  came  to  a  Jialt 
at  their  station  and  they  piled  out  on  to  the  narrow 
platform. 

"  There  is  old  Nat  Ricks,  the  station  master," 
said  Sam.  "  Remember  how  you  nearly  scared 
him  to  death  once  by  putting  a  big  fire-cracker  in 
the  waste  paper  he  was  burning  and  then  telling 
him  a  yarn  about  dynamite  being  around  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  just  guess  I  do,"  answered  Tom,  with 
a  grin.  "Hullo,  Mr.  Ricks!"  he  called  out. 
"How  are  you  this  fine  and  frosty  morning?" 

"  Putty  well,  Tom,"  grumbled  the  old  station 
master.  "  Been  troubled  a  lot  lately  with  rheuma 
tism." 

"  That's  too  bad,  Mr.  Ricks.  Caught  it  hoist 
ing  trunks  into  the  cars,  I  suppose." 

"  Don't  know  how  I  caught  it." 

"  Or  maybe  lifting  milk  cans." 

"  I  don't  lift  no  milk  cans  no  more.  Job  Tod? 
der  has  that  work  around  here." 


HOME  FOR   THE   HOLIDAYS.  85 

"  I  see.  Well,  you  must  have  caught  it  some 
how,  or  else  it  caught  you.  Ever  tried  the  old 
Indian  remedy  for  it?  " 

"  Indian  remedy,  what's  that?  " 

"  Gracious,  Mr.  Ricks !  never  heard  of  the  old 
reliable  Indian  remedy?  I'm  astonished  at  you," 
went  on  Tom,  in  mock  candor. 

"  I've  heard  tell  of  Indian  vegetable  pills — but 
they  aint  no  good  for  rheumatism,"  was  the  slow 
answer. 

"  Where  is  the  pain  mostly?  " 

"  Down  this  left  leg." 

"  Then  the  Indian  remedy  will  just  cure  you, 
sure  pop,  Mr.  Ricks." 

"Well,  what  might  it  be?" 

"  It  might  be  cover-liver  oil,  but  it  isn't.  You 
get  a  quart  bottle, — a  red  quart  bottle,  for  a 
white  one  won't  do, — and  fill  it  with  cold  spring 
water,  tapped  when  the  moon  is  full." 

"Is  that  all?" 

"  Oh,  no,  no !  Then  you  take  the  spring  water 
and  boil  it  over  a  charcoal  fire,  same  as  the  Modbc 
Indians  used  to  do.  You  remember  all  about  that, 
don't  you  ?  " 

"  I — I — 'pears  to  me  I  ought  to,"  stammered 
the  old  station  master. 

"  Well,  after  the  water  is  boiled',"  went  on  Tom, 
with  a  side  wink  at  Dick  and  Sam,  who  were 
already  on  a  broad  grin,  "  you  strain  it  through 


86        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

a  piece  of  red  cheesecloth — not  white,  remember—* 
and  add  one  teaspoonful  of  sugar,  one  of  salt,  one 
of  ginger,  one  of  mustard,  one  of  hog's  lard,  one 
of  mercury,  one  of  arrowroot,  one  of  kerosene  oil, 
one  of  lemon  juice,  one  of  extract  of  vanilla,  one 
of  mushamusha " 

"  Hold  on,  Rover,  I  can't  remember  all  that 
I'll  have  to  put  it  down,"  interrupted  Nat  Ricks. 

"  No,  you  don't  put  it  down  until  everything  is 
in  and  well  mixed.  Then  you  put  it  down,  half 
a  pint  at  a  time,  four  times  a  day.  It's  a  sure 
cure,  and  inside  of  a  week  after  taking  seventeen 
quarts  and  rubbing  the  empty  bottles  on  your  left 
shoulder  blade  you'll  feel  like  dancing  a  jig  of  joy; 
really,  you  will." 

"  Oh,  you  go  along !  "  growled  the  old  station 
master,  in  sudden  wrath.  "  You're  joking  me. 
Go  on,  or  I'll  throw  something  at  you !  " 

"  No  bouquets,  please,  Mr.  Ricks.  Then  you 
won't  try  the  cure?  All  right,  but  don't  blame 
me  if  your  rheumatism  gets  worse.  And  as  I 
can't  do  anything  for  you,  will  you  kindly  inform 
me  if  you've  seen  anything  of  Jack  Ness  around 
here,  with  our  turnout?  " 

"If  you  want  your  hired  man  you  go  find  him 
yourself,"  growled  the  station  master,  and  hob 
bled  into  his  office. 

"  Oh,  Tom,  but  that  was  rich,"  laughed  Sam 
softly.  ".When  you  said  extract  of  vanilla  and 


HOMETFOR    THE   HOLIDAYS.  87 

ttiushamusha  I  thought  I'd  explode.  And  he  was 
listening  so  earnestly,  too !  " 

"  Here's  Jack  Ness ! "  cried  Dick,  as  they 
turned  to  the  rear  of  the  station.  "  Hullo,  Jack ! 
Here  we  are  again !  " 

"  Master  Dick !  "  exclaimed  the  hired  man,  with 
a  grin.  "  An'  Tom  an'  Sam !  Glad  to  see  you 
boys  back,  indeed  I  am.  Here,  give  me  them 
bags.  I'll  put  'em  in  the  back  of  the  sleigh." 

"  How  is  the  sleighing?  "  asked  Sam. 

"  Sleighing  is  quite  fair  yet,  Master  Tom.  In 
you  go.  All  the  folks  is  dying  to  see  you." 

They  were  soon  stowed  away  in  the  big  family 
sleigh,  and  Jack  Ness  touched  up  the  team,  and 
away  they  went,  through  Oak  Run  and  across  the 
bridge  spanning  the  Swift  River — that  stream 
where  Sam  had  once  had  such  a  thrilling  adven 
ture.  The  countryside  was  covered  with  snow 
and  with  pools  of  ice. 

It  did  not  take  them  long  to  come  in  sight  of 
Valley  Brook.  While  still  at  a  distance  they  saw 
faithful  Alexander  Pop  come  out  on  the  broad 
piazza  and  wave  his  hand  at  them. 

"  There's  Aleck !  "  cried  Tom.  **  He's  been  on 
the  watch ! " 

"  There  is  father !  "  came  from  Sam,  a  moment 
later;  "  and  aunt  Martha  and  Uncle  Randolph !  " 

Soon  they  turned  into  the  lane,  and  Jack  Ness 
Brought  the  sleigh  up  to  the  piazza  block  in  fine 


88        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

style.  Tom  was  the  first  out  and  ran  to  greet  his 
father,  and  then  his  uncle  and  his  aunt,  and  the 
others  followed. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you  back,  boys,"  said  Mr. 
Anderson  Rover.  "  You  all  look  first-rate." 

"  We're  feeling  first-rate,"  came  from  Dick. 

"  Are  you  sure,  Sam,  that  you  are  quite  over 
your  cold  ?  "  asked  Aunt  Martha  anxiously. 

"Quite  sure,  aunty  dear,"  he  answered,  and 
kissed  her  very  warmly,  not  once,  but  several 
times. 

"  Here,  don't  eat  Aunt  Martha  up ! "  cried 
Tom,  "  Leave  some  for  me." 

"  You  dear  Tom !  "  murmured  the  lady  of  the 
house,  as  she  kissed  him  and  then  embraced  Dick. 
"  Full  of  fun  as  ever,  I  suppose." 

"  Oh,  no,  aunty !  I  never  do  anything  wrong 
now,"  answered  Tom  solemnly.  "  I  really 
haven't  time,  you  know." 

"  I'm  afraid,  Tom,  I  can't  trust  you."  And 
Mrs.  Randolph  Rover  shook  her  head  sadly,  but 
smiled  nevertheless.  She  loved  the  jolly  lad  with 
all  her  heart. 

There  was  a  warm  greeting  from  Randolph: 
Rover  also,  and  then  the  boys  turned  indoors,  to 
greet  faithful  Alexander  Pop  and  the  others  who 
worked  about  the  place. 

"  Yo'  is  a  sight  fo'  soah  eyes,  'deed  yo'  is,  boys," 
said  the  colored  man.  "  I  can't  tell  yo'  how  much 


HOME  FOR   THE  HOLIDAYS.  89 

I'se  missed  yo' ! "  And  his  face  shone  like  a  piece 
of  polished  ebony. 

"  It's  more  like  home  than  ever,  to  get  where 
you  are,  Aleck,"  said  Dick.  "  You've  been 
through  so  much  with  us  you  are  certainly  part  of 
the  outfit."  And  at  this  Aleck  laughed  and 
looked  more  pleased  than  ever. 

It  was  the  day  before  Christmas,  but  in  honor 
of  their  arrival  there  was  an  extra-fine  dinner 
awaiting  them.  Mrs.  Rover  had  wanted  to  keep 
her  turkey  meat  for  Christmas,  so  her  husband, 
Anderson  Rover,  and  Aleck  had  gone  into  the 
woods  back  of  the  farm  and  brought  down  some 
rabbits  and  a  number  of  birds,  so  there  was  pot- 
pie  and  other  good  things  galore,  not  forgetting 
some  pumpkin  pies  and  home-made  doughnuts, 
which  Aunt  Martha  prepared  with  her  own  hands 
and  of  which  the  boys  had  always  been  exceed 
ingly  fond. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,"  remarked  Tom,  as  he  was 
stowing  away  his  second  generous  piece  of  pie, 
"  the  feed  at  the  Hall  is  all  right,  but  when  it 
comes  to  a  real,  downright  spread,  like  this,  the 
palm  goes  to  Aunt  Martha."  And  Dick  and  Sam 
agreed  with  him. 

There  was,  of  course,  much  to  tell  about,  on 
both  sides,  and  after  dinner  the  family  gathered  in 
the  big  sitting  room,  in  front  of  a  cheerful,  blaz 
ing  fire.  Mr.  Anderson  Rover  listened  with  keen 


90        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

interest  to  what  his  sons  had  to  say  about  Jasper 
Grinder  and  Dan  Baxter. 

"  I  sincerely  trust  they  do  not  plot  against  us," 
'he  said.  "  I  am  getting  old,  and  I  want  no  more 
trouble." 

"I  don't  believe  Dan  has  the  backbone  his  father 
has,"  answered  Dick.  "  And  I  believe  Mr. 
Grinder  is  good  deal  of  a  coward." 

"  If  only  young  Baxter  would  turn  over  a  new 
leaf !  "  sighed  Mrs.  Martha  Rover.  "  I  declare 
I'll  not  feel  safe,  on  your  account,  until  that  young 
man  is  taken  care  of." 

The  evening  was  passed  in  talking,  singing,  and 
playing  games,  and  it  was  not  until  late  that  all 
retired. 

The  Christmas  to  follow  was  not  one  to  be 
easily  forgotten.  There  were  presents  for  every 
body,  from  Mr.  Rover  down  to  Sarah,  the  hired 
girl,  and  everybody  was  greatly  pleased. 

At  the  Christmas  dinner  Alexander  Pop  in 
sisted  upon  waiting  on  the  table,  just  as  he  had  so 
often  done  at  Putnam  Hall.  He  had  on  his  full 
dress  suit,  and  his  face  wore  one  perpetual  smile. 
The  boys  had  all  remembered  Aleck  handsomely, 
and  he  had  not  forgotten  them. 

In  the  afternoon  the  boys  went  skating,  and  on 
the  pond  met  several  of  the  boys  of  the  neighbor 
hood,  and  all  had  a  glorious  time  until  dark. 
Then  they  piled  home,  once  more  as  hungry  as 


HOME   FOR    THE  HOLIDAYS.  91 

wolves,  to  a  hot  supper,  and  an  evening  of  nut- 
cracking  around  the  fire. 

"  Tell  you  what,"  said  Sam  on  going  to  bed 
that  night,  "  I  almost  wish  Christmas  came  once  a 
week  instead  of  once  a  year  j n 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    BRASS-LINED    MONEY    CASKET. 

IT  was  on  the  day  following  Christmas  that 
Dick  brought  out  the  brass-lined  money  casket 
which  he  had  picked  up  in  the  cave  on  Needle 
Point  Island,  in  Lake  Huron,  as  related  in  a  previ 
ous  volume  of  this  series. 

As  old  readers  know,  this  cave  was  stumbled 
upon  by  accident.  It  had  once  been  the  hiding 
place  of  a  band  of  smugglers  who  plied  their  un 
lawful  calling  between  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  and  the  cave  was  found  rilled  with  numer 
ous  articles  of  more  or  less  value.  The  Rovers 
had  gone  back  for  these  things,  but  had  found 
some  money  gone,  also  a  curiously  shaped  dagger 
and  a  map,  which  had  been  in  the  cave  on  a  rude 
table.  They  were  pretty  well  satisfied  in  their 
minds  that  Dan  Baxter  had  taken  these  things, 
but  had  never  been  able  to  prove  it. 

The  brass-lined  money  casket  was  an  odd-look 
ing  affair,  which  Dick  found  thrust  in  a  big  box 
of  fancy  articles  of  various  descriptions.  The 
box  was  about  a  foot  long,  six  inches  wide,  and 

9> 


THE  BRASS-LINED  MONEY  CASKET.       9$ 

six  inches  deep.  It  was  of  rosewood,  with  silver 
corners,  and  the  lining  was  of  polished  brass, 
curiously  engraved.  The  box  had  contained 
a  few  odd  Canadian  silver  coins,  but  that  was 
all. 

"  Do  you  know,  I  would  like  to  know  the 
history  of  this  box,"  observed  Dick,  as  he  looked 
it  over.  "  As  it  belonged  to  one  of  those  smug 
glers  it  ought  to  have  quite  a  story  to  tell." 

"  It  will  make  a  nice  jewel  casket,"  put  in  Tom. 
"  When  you  settle  down  with  Dora,  you  can  give 
it  to  her  for  her  dia " 

"  Oh,  stow  that,  Tom !  If  Dora  ever  does  take 
me  for  a  husband,  it  won't  be  for  some  years  to 
come,  you  must  know  that." 

"  Let  me  take  a  look  at  the  box,"  put  in  Sam. 
"  I  never  got  the  chance  to  look  it  over  care 
fully." 

"  It's  odd  that  they  should  engrave  it  inside," 
went  on  Dick.  "  Especially  since  the  outside 
silver  corners  are  plain." 

"  Perhaps  there  is  a  secret  spring  hidden  by] 
the  engraving,"  suggested  Tom.  "  Hunt  around.. 
It  may  fly  apart  and  let  out  a  hundred  thousand 
in  diamonds." 

"  Don't  be  foolish,  Tom,"  said  Dick.  "  It  isn't 
likely  there  is  a  spring." 

"  But  there  just  is  a  spring !  "  exclaimed  San% 
who  was  handling  the  box.  "  Hark !  " 


94        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

He  ran  his  finger  nail  over  a  spot  on  one  side 
of  the  box,  and  there  followed  a  tiny  click.  Then 
he  ran  his  finger  nail  back,  and  there  was  another 
click. 

"  Hurrah !  Sam  has  solved  the  mystery  of  the 
sphinx ! "  cried  Tom.  "  Can  you  open  it  ?  I 
claim  a  third  share  of  the  diamonds !  " 

"  Give  me  the  box,"  said  Dick,  also  a  bit  ex 
cited.  When  he  got  it  in  his  hands  he,  too,  ran 
his  finger  nail  over  the  engraved  brass.  Several 
tiny  clicks  followed. 

"  There  must  be  some  opening  beneath  the  brass 
lining,"  he  said. 

"  Take  it  to  the  window,  and  perhaps  you'll  be 
able  to  see  something  more,"  suggested  Sam. 

Dick  did  as  advised,  and,  with  his  brothers 
gathered  close  beside  him,  worked  over  the  money 
casket  for  fully  quarter  of  an  hour. 

"  It  seems  to  click,  and  that's  all,"  he  said  dis^ 
appointedly.  "  If  I  could  only Oh !  " 

Dick  stopped  short.  His  finger  had  run  across 
the  lining  in  a  certain  way.  There  were  three 
clicks  in  rapid  succession,  and  on  the  instant  one 
of  the  brass  plates  of  the  box  flew  back,  revealing 
a  tiny  compartment  behind  it,  not  over  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  in  depth. 

"  No  diamonds  there,"  said  Tom,  his  face  fall 
ing.  "  Full  of  emptiness." 

"  No,  here  is  a  sheet  of  parchment,"  returned 


THE  BRASS-LINED  MONEY  CASKET.       95 

Dick,  pulling  it  forth.  "  A  map !  "  he  added,  as 
he  unfolded  it.  "  Well,  I  never !  " 

"  Never  what  ?  "  came  from  Tom  and  Sam. 

"  Unless  I  am  mistaken,  this  is  like  the  map 
that  was  on  that  table  in  the  cave,  only  this  is 
much  smaller." 

"  That's  interesting,  too,"  said  Tom. 

"  The  back  of  the  map  is  full  of  writing,"  said 
Sam.  He  looked  closer.  "  It's  in  French." 

"  This  box  must  have  belonged  to  one  of  those 
French-Canadian  smugglers,"  said  Dick.  ".We'll 
have  to  get  Uncle  Randolph  to  read  the  writing 
and  tell  us  what  it  says." 

The  three  boys  had  been  up  to  Dick's  room. 
Now  they  lost  no  time  in  going  below.  In  all 
eagerness  they  burst  into  the  library,  where 
Anderson  Rover  sat  reading  a  magazine  and 
Randolph  Rover  one  of  his  favorite  works  on 
scientific  farming. 

"  Dick  has  got  the  money  casket  open ! "  cried 
Sam. 

"And  he  has  found  a  map,"  added  Tom.  "-We 
want  Uncle  Randolph  to  read  the  writing.  It's 
in  French." 

"  Found  a  map  in  that  old  brass-lined  box,  eh?" 
said  Anderson  Rover.  "  That's  interesting." 

"  I  am  afraid  my  French  is  a  trifle  rusty,"  re 
marked  Randolph  Rover,  as  he  put  down  his 
book.  "  Let  me  see  the  map," 


$6        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

He  took  it  to  the  window,  and  both  he  and 
Anderson  Rover  looked  it  over  with  keen  interest 

"  Why,  this  is  a  map  of  the  locality  around 
Timber  Run,"  said  Randolph  Rover.  "  That's  a 
great  lumbering  section  in  the  Adirondacks." 

"Timber  Run!"  echoed  Tom,  and  for  the 
moment  said  no  more.  But  he  remembered  what 
Dora  Stanhope  had  said,  that  after  the  holidays 
Nellie  and  Grace  Laning  were  going  on  a  visit  to 
.an  aunt  who  lived  at  Timber  Run. 

"  Yes,  Thomas,  this  is  a  map  of  Timber  Run. 
This  stream  is  the  Perch  River,  and  this  is  Bear 
Pond.  The  naming  is  in  French,  but  that  is  the 
English  of  it." 

"  Please  read  the  writing  on  the  back,"  said 
Dick.  "  If  the  map  is  worth  anything  I  want  to 
know  it." 

Without  further  ado  Randolph  Rover  began  to 
read  the  writing.  It  was  a  hard  and  tedious  task, 
and  the  translating  was,  to  him,  equally  difficult, 
for  his  knowledge  of  French  was  somewhat 
limited.  Translated,  the  writing  ran  somewhat 
after  this  fashion : 

"  To  find  the  box  of  silver  and  gold,  go  to 
where  Bear  Pond  empties  into  Perch  River. 
Ten  paces  to  the  west  is  a  large  pine  tree,  which 
was  once  struck  by  lightning.  Go  due  southwest 
from  the  pine  tree  sixty-two  paces,  to  the  flat  rock, 


THE  BRASS-LINED  MONEY  CASKET.       97 

behind  which  is  a  sharp-pointed  rock.  Beneath 
the  sharp-pointed  rock  is  the  chamber  with  the 
box.  Stranger,  beware  of  Goupert's  ghost." 

"  A  treasure  in  the  mountains !  "  cried  Sam. 
"  Hurrah !  let's  go  and  get  it !  " 

"  Bear  Pond  lies  between  two  high  mountains," 
said  Randolph  Rover.  "  It  is  in  a  very  wild 
country,  and  so  far  but  little  of  the  timber  has  been 
taken  out." 

"  Never  mind,  we'll  go  anyhow ! "  put  in  Tom 
enthusiastically.  "  Why,  the  box  may  be  worth 
a  fortune ! " 

"  Yes,  let  us  go  by  all  means,"  put  in  Dick.  "  I 
wouldn't  like  any  better  fun  than  hunting  for  a 
treasure  box." 

"  Haven't  you  boys  had  adventures  enough  ?  " 
questioned  Anderson  Rover.  "  You've  been  to 
Africa  and  out  West,  and  on  the  ocean  and  the 
Great  Lakes " 

"  Oh,  this  would  just  be  a  little  winter's  outing 
in  the  mountains,"  said  Tom.  "  We  could  go 
hunting,  and  have  lots  of  fun,  even  if  we  didn't 
find  the  treasure  box." 

"  The  treasure  box  was  probably  taken  away 
years  ago,"  said  Randolph  Rover.  "  Most  likely 
several  of  the  smugglers  knew  of  it." 

"And  what  of  that  ghost?"  asked  Anderson 
Rover,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eyes. 


98        ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  Pooh !  we're  not  afraid  of  ghosts,"  sniffed 
Sam.  "Are  we,  Tom?" 

"  If  I  saw  a  ghost,  I'd  be  apt  to  pepper  him  with 
shot,  if  I  had  my  gun,"  answered  Tom.  "  No, 
I'm  not  afraid  of  such  things — and  neither  is 
rDick." 

"  It  would  be  a  fine  thing  to  find  a  big  boxful  of 
silver,"  said  Dick  seriously.  "  I  know  there  was 
lots  in  that  cave,  before  Dan  Baxter  scooped  it  in. 
And,  by  the  way,  he  must  have  that  other  map 
yet." 

"  Perhaps  he  went  for  the  treasure  box !  "  burst 
out  Sam. 

"  If  the  box  is  gone,  we  can't  help  it,"  said 
Tom.  "  But  I  move  we  get  to  Timber  Run  and 
Bear  Pond  just  as  soon  as  possible." 

"  Do  you  want  to  start  in  this  cold  weather?  " 
asked  his  father  anxiously. 

"  Pooh !     It  isn't  so  very  cold." 

"  It's  a  good  deal  colder  up  in  the  mountains 
than  it  is  here,  I  can  tell  you  that.  Why  you 
might  easily  freeze  to  death  if  you  got  lost  in  the 
snow." 

"  I  wonder  if  we  couldn't  find  some  guide  who 
knows  that  territory  thoroughly,"  mused  Dick. 

"  If  you  could  find  a  good  guide,  I  wouldn't 
mind  your  going,"  said  his  parent.  "  But  I  shall 
object  to  your  going  alone." 

"Then  we'll  hunt  for  a  guide,  and  without 


THE  BRASS-LINED  MONEY  CASKET.        99 

delay,"  said  Dick.  "  I  would  like  to  go  up  there 
before  Putnam  Hall  opens  again." 

"  So  would  I,"  came  from  his  two  brothers. 

"  I  think  I  know  where  you  can  get  a  guide," 
said  Tom,  after  a  pause.  "  The  Lanings  have 
relatives  at  Timber  Run.  Let's  write  to  Mr. 
Laning." 

This  was  agreed  to,  and  a  special  trip  was  made 
to  the  village  by  Aleck  Pop  to  post  the  letter.  In 
the  letter  they  asked  Mr.  Laning  to  telegraph,  if 
possible,  in  reply. 

The  telegram  came  shortly  after  noon  the  next 
day.  It  ran  as  follows: 

"  I  feel  sure  my  brother-in-law,  John  Barrow, 
of  Timber  Run,  can  supply  a  reliable  guide.  Will 
write  to  him. 

"  JOHN  LANING." 

"That  settles  it,'*  said  Dick.  "I  know  the 
Lanings  will  do  what  is  right  by  us,  so  we  may  as 
well  get  ready  to  start  at  once.  Are  you  willing, 
father?" 

"  Yes,  Dick,'4  was  the  answer.  "  But  be  sure 
and  keep  out  of  danger,  and  keep  Tom  and  Sam 
out,  too.'5 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  HEART    OF    THE  ADIRONDACK^, 

THREE  days  later  found  the  Rover  boys  in  the 
heart  of  the  Adirondack  Mountains  of  New  York 
State.  They  had  left  home,  after  a  hasty  but 
thorough  preparation,  two  days  before,  and  taken 
the  train  from  Oak  Run  to  the  mountain  village  of 
Medwell.  At  Medwell  they  had  taken  the  stage 
to  Barton's  Corners,  and  at  this  point  had  hired  a 
private  conveyance  to  carry  them  and  their  outfit 
to  Timber  Run. 

At  the  time  of  which  I  write  Timber  Run  was 
nothing  more  than  a  collection  of  a  dozen  houses, 
strung  along  a  branch  of  the  Perch  River,  where 
that  stream  turned  the  southern  slope  of  a  high 
hill  known  as  Bald  Top.  There  was  a  general 
store  here  and  also  an  office  belonging  to  the 
Timber  Run  Lumber  Company.  But  business 
with  the  company  was  slow,  and  the  village,  con 
sequently,  was  almost  destitute  of  life,  two  of  the 
houses  being  without  tenants. 

"  Well,  this  doesn't  look  much  like  a  place/* 
remarked  Sam,  as  they  got  out  of  the  heavy  lum- 


THE  HEART  OF   THE  ADIRONDACKS.     101 

ber  wagon  which  had  brought  them  and  their  out 
fit  over. 

"  Phew !  but  aint  it  cold ! "  exclaimed  Tom, 
dancing  around  and  slapping  his  arms  over  his 
chest.  "  I  wonder  how  Nellie  and  Grace  Laning 
like  this?" 

"  I'll  wager  you've  been  thinking  of  Nellie  all 
the  way  up,"  said  Dick  slyly,  remembering  how 
his  brother  had  tormented  him  about  Dora  Stan 
hope. 

"  Couldn't  think  of  anything  but  how  cold  it 
was,"  growled  Tom,  but  his  face  took  on  a  sudden 
redness.  "Where  do  you  go  next?"  he  de 
manded,  to  change  the  subject. 

"Let's  go  over  to  the  store  and  ask  for  Mr. 
John  Barrow,"  suggested  Dick. 

The  store  was  at  a  fork  in  the  roads,  and  thither 
they  hurried,  to  get  inside,  for  the  ride  from  Bar 
ton's  Corners  had  certainly  been  a  chilling  one. 
In  the  store  they  found  a  big  pot  stove  throwing 
out  a  generous  amount  of  heat,  and  around  this 
stove  were  gathered  half  a  dozen  men,  smoking 
and  telling  stories. 

"  So  you  are  the  young  men  who  are  looking 
for  John  Barrow,"  said  the  storekeeper,  after 
listening  to  what  Dick  had  to  say.  "  He  was 
here  waiting  for  you,  and  he'll  be  back  in  a  bit. 
Rather  a  cold  ride,  eh  ?  Draw  up  to  the  fire  and 
warm  up." 


102      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

A  place  was  made  for  the  lads,  and  while  they 
were  "  thawing  out,"  as  Sam  put  it,  John  Barrow 
came  in.  He  proved  to  be  a  tall,  powerful  built 
lumberman,  with  a  well-tanned  face  and  sharp, 
but  kindly,  eyes. 

"  How  do  you  do,"  he  said,  as  he  shook  hands. 
"  Real  glad  to  know  you.  Yes,  I  got  a  letter 
from  John  Laning,  my  brother-in-law,  tellin'  me 
all  about  you.  He  says  as  how  you  want  a  guide 
fer  these  parts.  Well,  I  don't  want  to  brag,  but  I 
reckon  I  know  the  lay  o'  the  land  'round  here 
about  as  good  as  any  o'  'em,  and  a  heap  sight 
better  nor  lots." 

"  We'd  like  you  first-rate  for  a  guide,"  said 
Tom,  who  was  pleased  with  John  Barrow's  looks, 
as  were  also  his  brothers.  "  But  can  you  spare 
the  time?" 

"  Reckon  I  can,  just  now.  You  see,  the  lum 
ber  company  has  got  in  some  sort  of  a  tangle  with 
the  owner  of  the  timber  on  this  tract,  and  con 
sequently  work  is  at  a  standstill.  That's  why  you 
see  so  many  men  hangin'  around  here." 

"  Then  you  work  for  the  company  ?  "  asked 
Dick. 

"  I  do  in  the  winter  time,  but  not  in  the  summer. 
I've  got  a  tidy  farm  down  the  river  a  bit,  and  I  let 
out  my  hosses  to  the  company  to  haul  timber. 
It's  cash  money,  you  see,  when  the  haulin'  is  goin* 
on." 


THE  HEART  OF   THE  ADIRONDACKS.     103 

"  I  believe  the  Laning  girls  are  stopping  with 
you,"  put  in  Sam. 

"  Yes,  Nellie  and  Grace  came  up  some  time  ago. 
[You  see,  our  girl,  Addie,  gits  tired  being  on  the 
farm  with  only  her  mother,  so  we  invited  her 
cousins  to  come  up  for  a  spell.  They've  had 
some  pretty  good  times  together,  so  far,  skatin' 
and  sleighin',  and  the  like.  They  are  all  anxious 
to  see  you." 

John  Barrow  had  brought  with  him  his  wagon, 
and  into  this  their  outfit  was  dumped,  and  a 
minute  later  they  were  off,  down  the  winding  and 
rough  road  running  along  the  bank  of  the  river, 
which  was  now  frozen  to  a  thickness  of  a  foot  or 
more  and  covered  with  several  inches  of  snow. 

"  You  say  you  know  this  locality,"  observed 
Dick,  as  they  bumped  along  over  the  frozen 
ground.  "  Do  you  know  the  spot  where  Bear 
Pond  empties  inf.o  Perch  River?  " 

"  I  know  several  such  spots,  my  lad." 

"  Several !  "  came  from  all  of  the  Rover  boys. 

"  Yes,  several.  You  see  the  ground  around  the 
pond  is  marshy,  and  the  heavy  rains  cut  all  sorts 
of  gullies  here  and  there,  so  the  pond  empties  into 
the  river,  now,  at  five  or  six  p'ints." 

"  Are  these  points  very  far  apart  ?  "  asked  Sam, 
in  dismay.  "  You  see,  I'm  very  anxious  we 
should  know  the  exact  particulars." 

*  Indeed!"     John   Barrow   looked   at   them 


104      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

curiously.  "  Say,  I  reckon  I  know  what  you  arc 
after !  "  he  burst  out  suddenly. 

"  What  ?  "  came  from  the  three. 

"  You're  on  a  hunt  for  old  Goupert's  treasure.'* 

"Why,  what  do  you  know  about  that?"  de 
manded  Dick.  He  remembered  that  the  writing 
on  the  map  said,  "  Beware  of  Goupert's  ghost." 

"  Oh,  that's  an  old  yarn  about  here,  and  at 
different  times  we've  had  more'n  a  hundred  folks 
a-hunting  around  for  that  old  Frenchman's  money 
box,  but  nobody  ever  got  so  much  as  a  smell  o'  it." 

"  Who  was  Goupert  ?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  Goupert  was  a  thoroughly  bad  man,  who 
lived  sixty  or  seventy  years  ago.  The  story  goes 
that  he  used  to  be  a  smuggler  and  that  he  came 
here  when  the  authorities  chased  him  off  the  Great 
Lakes.  He  had  lots  o'  money,  but  he  was  a  miser, 
and  a  queer  stick  to  boot.  He  built  himself  a 
cabin  on  Bear  Pond,  and  lived  there  all  alone  for 
two  years.  Then  some  lake  n.en  came  down 
here,  and  one  night  there  was  a  big  row  and  the 
lake  men  disappeared.  Goupert  couldn't  be  found 
at  first,  but  about  a  month  later  some  hunters  dis 
covered  his  dead  body  tied  to  a  tree  in  the  woods, 
not  far  from  the  spot,  you  asked  about.  He  had 
been  left  to  starve  to  death.  The  story  was  that 
the  lake  men  had  starved  him  in  order  to  get  him 
to  tell  where  he  had  hidden  his  money  box,  and 
that  old  Goupert  was  too  much  o'  a  miser  to  let 


THE  HEART  OF   THE  ADIRONDACKS.     log 

the  secret  out.  So  folks  begun  to  hunt  for  that 
money  box  high  an'  low,  but  never  got  a  smell  o* 
it,  as  I  said." 

"Did  you  ever  hunt  for  the  money?"  ques« 
tioned  Dick. 

"  No,  I  never  had  no  time  to  waste.  So  you 
really  came  up  on  that  account?  " 

"  We  came  up  on  that  account,  and  also  to  have 
a  good  time  in  the  mountains,"  said  Dick,  before 
Sam  or  Tom  could  speak.  "  But,  Mr.  Barrow, 
I  wish  you  wouldn't  mention  this  to  the  other 
folks  around  here.  They  might  laugh  at  us  for 
coming  on  what  they  think  is  a  wild-goose  chase." 

"  Oh,  I  won't  say  a  word  on  it — if  you  want  it 
that  way." 

"  Did  this  Goupert  leave  any  relatives?  "  asked 
Sam. 

"  No,  lad,  not  a  soul." 

"  Then  if  we  should  find  that  treasure  it  would 
belong  to  us,"  put  in  Tom. 

"  Every  penny  on  it,  lad.  But  don't  raise  any 
high  hopes,  or  you  may  be  sorely  disapp'inted." 

"  Oh,  I  came  for  a  good  time,"  replied  Tom,  in 
an  off-handed  a  manner  as  possible. 

Presently  John  Barrow  had  to  get  out  of  the 
wagon  to  fix  something  on  the  harness.  While 
he  was  doing  this  Dick  leaned  over  to  his  two 
brothers. 

"Don't  say  anything  about  the  mag  to  any- 


106      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

body,"  he  whispered.  "  We'll  keep  that  a  secret 
for  the  present"  And  Tom  and  Sam  nodded,  to 
show  that  they  understood. 

The  ride  to  John  Barrow's  house  soon  came  to 
an  end,  and  as  the  boys  alighted  at  the  horseblock 
the  door  opened  and  Nellie  and  Grace  Laning 
appeared. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Tom !  "  cried  Nellie,  as  she 
ran  and  caught  him  by  the  hand,  while  Grace  did 
the  same  to  Sam.  "  We're  awfully  glad  to  see 
you,  and  to  see  Dick  and  Sam,  too,"  and  a  hand 
shaking  all  around  followed.  Then  Mrs.  Bar 
row,  a  motherly  woman,  was  introduced  and  also 
her  daughter  Addie,  who  was  Nellie's  age,  and 
full  of  fun. 

"  Come  right  in,  boys,"  said  Mrs.  Barrow. 
"  Supper  is  waiting,  and  I'm  sure  you  must  be 
hungry." 

"  Hungry  doesn't  describe  it,"  said  Tom.  "  I 
could  eat  sole  leather.  Phew!  what  an  appetite 
riding  in  this  mountain  air  does  give  a  fellow !  " 

"  Can  you  ever  remember  the  time  when  you 
wasn't  without  an  appetite,  Tom  ?  "  asked  Nellie 
Laning,  with  a  laugh. 

"  Never  go  so  far  into  ancient  history,"  he  re 
turned  solemnly,  and  a  general  laugh  followed. 

Soon  their  outfit  was  safely  housed  in  the  barn, 
and  then  they  entered  the  house,  where  the  long 
supper  table,  filled  with  good  things,  awaited  them. 


THE  HEART   OF   THE  ADIRONDACKS.     107 

All  three  of  the  girls  insisted  upon  waiting  on  the 
boys,  and  it  proved  as  jolly  a  meal  as  they  had 
ever  eaten.  They  lingered  for  an  hour  at  the 
table,  talking  and  cracking  nuts,  and  during  that 
time  the  Rover  boys  became  thoroughly  ac 
quainted  with  the  Barrow  family. 

"  Oh,  I've  heard  lots  about  you !  "  said  Addie 
Barrow.  "  Nellie  has  told  me  great,  long  stories 
about  Tom's  bravery,  and  Grace  has  told  me  aill 
about  Sam's  doings,  and  both  of  them  have  told 
about  you,  Dick " 

"  Now,  do  be  still,  Addie !  "  put  in  Nellie  Lan- 
ing.  "  I  declare,  I  never  said  a  word !  " 

"  Oh !  A  word !  Why,  you  kept  me  awake 
one  night  for  over  an  hour  telling  about  how 
Tom " 

"  Let's  have  a  song,"  broke  in  Sam.  "  I  see  an 
organ  in  the  next  room  and  some  music.  You 
must  play,"  he  added,  to  Addie. 

"  She  plays  beautifully,"  put  in  Grace,  thankful 
for  the  change  of  subject.  "Addie,  give  them 
that  new  song,  '  I'm  Sorry,  Oh,  So  Sorry ! ' 

"All  right,"  answered  the  young  lady  of  the" 
house,  and  sitting  down  at  the  organ  she  ran  her 
hands  over  the  keys  and  started  the  song.  She 
could  sing  and  play  well,  and  all  joined  in  the 
chorus.  The  music  was  kept  up  for  over  an  hour, 
and  then  the  Rover  boys  retired,  highly  pleased 
over  their  reception. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    START    UP    THE    RIVER. 

"  IF  it  wasn't  for  finding  that  treasure  box  I'd 
just  as  lief  stay  here  for  a  few  days,"  remarked 
Tom,  on  getting  up  the  following  morning. 

"  Ditto  myself,"  came  from  Sam.  "  We  could 
have  a  boss  good  time,  eh  ?  " 

"  How  about  it  if  Nellie  and  Grace  weren't 
here?  "  came  from  Dick,  and  then  dodged  a  shoe 
thrown  at  him  by  Tom  and  a  pillow  sent  forth  by 
Sam.  "  No,  boys,  it  won't  do — we  must  leave 
for  the  hunt  to-day.  Why,  there  may  be  a  million 
in  it." 

"  That's  right,  Dick;  when  you  fly,  fly  high," 
said  Tom.  "  That  Frenchman  never  had  a  mil 
lion.  If  he  had  a  couple  of  thousand  he'd  be 
lucky." 

"  And  of  course,  a  couple  of  thousand  is  of  no 
importance  to  us,"  put  in  Sam  grandiloquently. 

"  All  right;  I'll  go  on  the  hunt  alone." 

"  No,  Dick,  of  course  we'll  go,"  said  Tom 
hastily.  "  When  do  you  want  to  start  ?  " 

"  As  soon  as  Mr.  Barrow  can  get  off." 

But,  in  spite  of  Dick's  anxiety  to  get  off, 

Ml 


THE  START  UP  THE  RIVER.  109 

start  was  delayed  for  a  whole  day,  much  to  Tom 
and  Sam's  secret  joy.  John  Barrow  had  to  go  to 
Timber  Run  for  things  needed  in  the  house  by  his 
wife  and  daughter. 

When  he  returned  there  was  a  broad  grin  on 
his  face. 

"  I've  got  news  for  you,"  he  said  to  Dick,  who 
had  followed  him  down  to  the  barn.  "  There's 
another  party  arrived  at  Timber  Run  on  the  hunt 
fer  that  treasure  of  old  Goupert's." 

"  Another  party.     Who  is  it?  " 

"  Didn't  hear  their  names.  There  are  two  men 
and  a  young  fellow  o'  nineteen  or  twenty.  They 
have  hired  Bill  Harney  fer  a  guide,  and  are  goin' 
to  strike  out  fer  the  Pond  to-morrow." 

"  Two  men  and  a  young  fellow,"  mused  Dick. 
"  I'd  like  to  know  who  they  are/' 

"  One  o'  the  men  looked  like  a  preacher  or 
schoolmaster.  He  called  the  young  feller  Tha- 
cher,  or  something  like  that." 

"  It  wasn't  Baxter  ?  "  queried  Dick,  struck  by 
a  sudden  idea. 

"  That's  the  name — now  I  remember." 

"And  the  man,  did  they  call  him  Grinder — 
Jasper  Grinder  ?  "  went  on  Dick  excitedly. 

"  If  it  wasn't  Grinder,  it  was  something  like  it 
The  party  came  east  from  Ithaca." 

"  It's  Dan  Baxter  and  Jasper  Grinder  sure ! " 
burst  out  Dick.  "  Well,  this  beats  the  nation." 


fio      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  Then  you  know  the  crowd?  " 

"  I  do — to  my  sorrow,  Mr.  Barrow.  That  Dan 
Baxter  is  the  good-for-nothing  young  fellow  I 
told  you  of  this  morning,  and  Jasper  Grinder  was 
a  teacher  at  the  Hall.  We  had  a  big  row  with 
him  and  he  was  kicked  out  in  a  hurry  by  Captain 
Putnam.  They  are  our  enemies." 

"  Humph !  That  promises  to  make  it  interest 
ing  for  you.  But  it's  queer  they  should  come  up 
at  the  same  time  you're  here,"  went  on  the  lumber 
man  thoughtfully. 

"  I  might  as  well  let  you  into  a  secret,  Mr.  Bar 
row.  Will  you  promise  to  keep  it  entirely  to 
yourself  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  lad,  if  it's  an  honest  secret." 

"  It  is  honest,"  answered  Dick,  and  thereupon 
told  of  the  adventure  on  Needle  Point  Island  and 
of  the  map  on  the  table,  and  how  it  had  disap 
peared,  and  of  the  finding  of  the  second  map  in 
the  brass-lined  money  casket  later  on. 

"  I  am  sure  Dan  Baxter  has  that  other  map,"  he 
concluded.  "  He  wants  that  treasure  as  badly 
as  we  do." 

"  Then  I  allow  as  how  it  will  be  a  nip-an'-tuck 

•;  Oce  between  you,"  returned  John  Barrow.     "The 

fust  to  get  there  will  be  the  best  man.     O'  course, 

with  that  map  it  ought  to  be  plain  enough  sailin'." 

"  I  thought  it  would  be,  but  it  will  mix  us  up, 
now  you  say  that  Bear  Pond  empties  into  Perch 


THE  START  UP  THE  RIVER.  m 

River  in  several  places.     We'll  have  to  try  one 
place  after  another." 

"  Do  your  directions  start  from  that  p'int?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Then  we'll  have  to  find  the  right  emptyin' 
place,  that's  all.     My  advice  is  to  start  fer  the  spot ' 
to-morrow  early." 

So  it  was  arranged,  and  Dick  called  Tom  and 
Sam  down  to  the  barn  to  talk  it  over.  It  was  late 
in  the  afternoon,  and  all  worked  until  after  the 
supper  hour  in  preparing  for  the  start. 

"  It's  a  good  twenty  miles'  tramp  from  here," 
said  John  Barrow,  "  and  we'll  have  to  climb  two 
pretty  steep  mountains  to  get  to  the  spot." 

"  Why  can't  we  follow  the  stream  up  ?  "  asked 
Tom.  "  That  would  be  easier  than  tramping  up 
the  mountains." 

"  By  the  river  the  way  is  at  least  forty  miles, 
and  there  are  half  a  dozen  rough  spots  where 
you'd  have  to  walk  a  mile  or  two." 

"  We  have  our  skates,"  said  Sam.  **  Skating 
would  be  easier  than  walking,  and  pulling  the 
sleds  on  the  ice  would  be  child's  play." 

"  Well,  I  allow  as  how  I  wouldn't  mind  skatin* 
myself,"  said  John  Barrow  thoughtfully.  "  I 
never  thought  of  that  before.  If  you  want  to,  we 
can  try  that  trail.  We  can  take  to  the  mountain 
any  time,  if  we  find  skating  no  good." 

So  it  was  arranged  that  they  should  strike  out 


xi2      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

for  Bear  Pond  by  way  of  the  river,  and  the  sleds, 
of  which  there  were  two,  were  packed  accordingly, 
and  the  boys  saw  to  it  that  their  skates  were  well 
sharpened  and  otherwise  in  good  condition. 

"  When  you're  skating,  you  want  to  look  out 
for  air  holes,"  was  John  Barrow's  caution.  "  Fer 
where  the  river  runs  between  the  mountains  it 
is  mighty  deep  in  spots,  I  can  tell  you  that !  " 

"  Thanks,  I'll  be  on  my  guard,"  answered  Tom, 
with  a  shiver.  "  I've  had  all  I  want  of  icy  baths 
this  winter." 

The  girls  were  sorry  to  see  the  boys  leave  so 
quickly,  but  were  consoled  when  Tom  promised 
to  stay  longer  on  the  return.  On  the  following 
morning  breakfast  was  had  at  six  o'clock,  and  by 
seven  they  were  off,  everybody  wishing  them  a 
good  time.  Only  Mrs.  Barrow  knew  that  the 
boys  were  on  a  treasure,  and  not  a  bird  and  wild 
animal,  hunt. 

It  was  a  clear,  frosty  day  and  everybody  was  in 
the  best  of  spirits.  The  boys  wore  fur  caps  and 
warm  clothing,  and  each  was  provided  with  either 
a  rifle  or  a  shot-gun.  So  far  they  had  seen  but 
little  game  around  the  farm,  but  John  Barrow 
assured  them  that  the  timber  and  mountains  were 
full  of  game  of  all  sorts. 

"I  wonder  what  route  Dan  Baxter's  party 
took,"  said  Dick,  as  they  gained  the  river,  and 
stopped  to  put  on  their  skates. 


THE  START  UP  THE  RIVER.  113 

"  I  didn't  hear  what  route  they  took,"  answered 
their  guide.  "  I  reckon  they  went  straight  over 
the  mountains.  I  don't  believe  as  how  Bill  Har- 
ney  takes  to  skating." 

"  Is  this  Bill  Harney  a  good  sort?  "  asked  Tom. 
"  If  he  is,  I  can  tell  you  he  has  got  into  bad 
company." 

"  Bill  isn't  so  bad  when  he's  sober.  It's  when 
he  gits  full  o'  rum  that  he  makes  things  lively. 
He's  a  great  drinker." 

They  were  soon  on  the  river,  which  at  this 
point  was  fifty  to  sixty  feet  wide.  The  snow 
covered  a  large  portion  of  the  surface,  but  the 
wind  had  cleared  many  a  long  stretch,  and  they 
skated  on  these,  dragging  the  sleds  behind  them. 
Each  sled  was  packed  high  with  the  camping  out 
fit,  but  they  ran  along  readily. 

"  I  wonder  how  long  we'll  be  out,"  said  Sam, 
as  he  skated  by  Tom's  side. 

"  I  guess  that  will  depend  upon  what  luck  we 
have,  Sam.  If  we  strike  the  right  spot  first  clipi 
we  ought  to  be  back  inside  of  five  or  six  days." 

As  the  party  moved  up  the  river  they  found  the 
stream  wound  in  and  out  between  the  mountains. 
On  either  side  were  bare  rocky  walls  or  dense 
patches  of  timber,  with  here  and  there  a  tiny  open 
space,  now  piled  deep  with  snowdrifts. 

"  I  see  some  rabbits  ahead !  "  cried  Tom  pres 
ently.  "  Wonder  if  I  can  bring  them  down,"  he 


Ii4      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

added,  as  he  unslung  his  gun.  But  long  before 
he  could  take  aim  the  bunnies  were  out  of  sight 
amid  the  timber. 

"  You'll  have  to  carry  your  gun  in  your  hand 
for  a  shot  at  them,"  came  from  Dick.  "  But  be 
careful,  or  you  may  trip  up  on  some  frozen  twig 
and  shoot  somebody." 

Mile  after  mile  was  passed,  but  ho  further  game 
came  to  view,  much  to  Tom's  disgust. 

"  Not  much  right  around  here,"  said  John  Bar 
row,  as  he  saw  Tom  put  his  gun  back  over  his 
shoulder.  "  The  boys  from  Timber  Run  have 
cleared  the  ground  putty  well.  But  you'll  see 
something  sure  a  little  further  on — and  maybe 
more'n  you  bargain  for." 

"  I'm  not  afraid  of  big  game,  Mr.  Barrow.  We 
faced  some  pretty  bad  animals  when  we  were  in 
Africa  and  out  West." 

"  I  allow  that  must  be  so,  Tom.  But  you  want 
to  be  careful  even  so.  A  big  mountain  deer  or  a 
bear  aint  to  be  fooled  with,  I  can  tell  you 
that/' 

About  eleven  o'clock  they  came  to  the  first  falls 
above  Timber  Run.  Here  the  water  was  frozen 
itrto  solid  masses,  but  the  way  was  so  uneven  they 
found  it  profitable  to  take  off  their  skates  and 
"  tote  "  the  sleds  around  the  spot.  This  necessi 
tated  a  walk  of  several  hundred  feet  through  the 
timber  skirting  the  edge  of  the  river.  The  way 


THE  START  UP  THE  RIVER.  115 

was  uncertain,  and  John  Barrow  went  ahead,  to 
steer  the  party  clear  of  any  danger. 

"  Finest  timber  in  the  world  right  here,"  he 
observed.  "  I  can't  see  why  the  timber  company 
don't  get  together  and  put  it  in  the  market.  It 
would  fetch  a  good  price." 

"Wait!  I  see  something  in  yonder  trees!" 
cried  Dick,  in  a  low  voice.  "  Can  you  make  out 
what  they  are?" 

"  Wild  turkeys !  "  answered  the  guide.  "  Git 
down  behind  these  bushes.  If  we  can  bag  a  few 
of  them,  we'll  have  rich  eatin'  for  a  few  days ! " 


CHAPTER  XV. 

WILD    TURKEYS. 

WITHOUT  delay  the  Rover  boys  dropped  behind 
the  bushes,  and  John  Barrow  did  the  same.  All 
kept  as  quiet  as  possible,  for  they  knew  that  on 
the  first  alarm  the  wild  turkeys  would  be  off. 

The  game  was  not  over  six  feet  from  the 
ground,  sitting  in  three  rows  on  as  many  branches 
of  a  hemlock  that  overhung  the  stream.  There 
were  over  a  dozen  in  the  flock,  each  as  plump  as 
wild  turkeys  ever  get. 

"How  shall  we  fire?"  asked  Dick.  "There 
is  no  call  for  all  of  us  to  shoot  at  the  same  bird." 

"  I'll  take  one  on  the  left,"  answered  John  Bar 
row.  "  You  take  one  on  the  right.  Tom  can 
take  a  middle  one  sitting  high,  and  Sam  a  middle 
one  sitting  low.  All  ready  ?  " 

"Yes,"  came  the  answer,  from  one  afteti 
another. 

"  Then  fire  when  I  say  three.  One,  two — 
three!" 

Bang!  bang!  went  the  firearms,  and  as  the 
reports  echoed  through  the  forest,  two  of  the  wild 

116 


WILD   TURKEYS.  117 

turkeys  were  seen  to  drop  dead  under  the  branches 
upon  which  they  had  been  sitting.  One,  that  was 
badly  wounded,  fluttered  down  and  began  to 
thrash  around  in  the  brush.  The  rest  of  the  flock 
flew  away  with  a  rush  and  were  lost  to  sight 
between  the  trees. 

"  Three!  That  isn't  so  bad!  "  cried  Dick,  as 
they  all  started  on  a  run  forward.  Soon  they  had 
the  turkey  on  the  ground  surrounded,  and  John 
Barrow  caught  up  the  game  and  wrung  its  neck. 

"  I  guess  I  missed  my  mark,"  came  rather 
sheepishly  from  Tom. 

"  You !  "  exclaimed  Sam,  in  surprise.  "  I  was 
just  going  to  say  I  had  missed." 

"  Nobody  missed,"  put  in  the  guide. 

"  Nobody  ?  "  came  from  the  three  Rovers. 

"  Somebody  must  have  missed,"  added  Tom. 
"  We  fired  four  shots  and  only  got  three  birds." 

"  One  of  those  that  flew  off  was  wounded.  He 
dropped  a  lot  of  feathers  and  went  up  in  a  shaky 
fashion.  Of  course,  he  got  away,  but  just  the 
same,  he  was  hit." 

"  Well,  I  thought  I  missed  clean  and  clear," 
said  Tom  doubtfully. 

"  And  I  thought  I  missed,"  laughed  Sam.  "  I 
guess  we'll  have  to  divide  that  third  bird  between 
us,  Tom." 

"  We've  got  all  the  wild-turkey  meat  we'll  want 
on  this  trip,"  came  from  John  Barrow.  "  Before 


Ii8      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

this  is  gone,  you'll  want  a  change,  I'll  warrant 
you." 

While  the  guide  was  caring  for  the  birds  the 
boys  went  back  for  the  sleds.  Soon  they  were 
again  on  the  way,  and  they  did  not  stop  until  the 
vicinity  of  the  falls  was  left  far  behind  and  they 
had  again  reached  a  point  where  skating  would  be 
good  for  several  miles. 

"  Reckon  we  can  stop  here  and  have  dinner," 
observed  the  guide.  "  Feelin'  kind  o'  hungry, 
aint  you  ?  " 

"Just  guess  I  am  hungry,"  declared  Tom. 
"  But  I  didn't  want  to  say  anything  till  the  rest 
did." 

Some  of  the  cooking  utensils  were  unpacked, 
and  while  the  boys  got  wood  for  the  fire,  John 
Barrow  brought  out  some  coffee  and  other  things. 
It  was  decided  that  they  should  not  take  time  to 
cook  a  turkey  until  they  went  into  camp  for  the 
night. 

Soon  a  fire  was  blazing  merrily.  They  built  it 
under  the  outer  end  of  a  long  tree  limb,  and  from 
the  limb  suspended  a  pot  full  of  water  by  a  long 
iron  chain  they  had  brought  along.  As  the 
ground  was  covered  with  snow,  there  was  little 
'danger  of  spreading  a  conflagration.  Soon  the 
Water  was  boiling  and  the  guide  made  a  steaming 
pot  of  coffee,  which  was  passed  around  in  tin  cups, 
with  sugar  and  a  little  condensed  milk.  They 


WILD   TURKEYS.  119 

had  brought  along  bread,  cheese,  chipped  beef, 
and  boiled  eggs,  and  also  a  mince  pie  which  Mrs. 
Barrow  had  baked  the  day  before,  and  these  made 
what  Tom  declared  was  a  famous  dinner. 

"  No  sauce  like  hunger  sauce,"  laughed  John 
v  Barrow,  as  he  saw  the  lads  stow  the  food  away. 
"  Once  I  was  trampin'  the  mountains  all  day 
without  a  mouthful  when  I  chanced  to  look  in  a 
corner  o'  my  game  bag  and  found  a  slice  o'  bread, 
at  least  two  weeks  old.  I  ate  that  bread  up,  hard 
as  it  was,  and  nuthin'  ever  tasted  sweeter." 

"You're  right,"  returned  Dick.  "The  folks 
in  the  city  who  don't  know  what  to  get  to  tickle 
their  appetite  ought  to  go  hungry  a  few  times. 
Then  I'm  sure  they'd  appreciate  what  they  got." 

The  midday  meal  finished,  they  lost  no  time  in 
repacking  the  sled  load  and  starting  up  the  river 
once  more.  The  stream  was  now  wider  than 
before,  and  presently  spread  out  into  a  small  lake. 

"  This  is  known  as  Tillard's  Pond,"  said  John 
Barrow.  "  Feller  named  Gus  Tillard  built  his 
cabin  over  yonder,  about  ten  years  ago.  He  went 
out  bar-huntin'  one  day,  and  Mr.  Bar  came  along 
and  chewed  him  up." 

"  Gracious !  Then  there  must  be  pretty  ugly 
customers  in  this  vicinity,"  exclaimed  Sam,  with 
a  shiver. 

"  Not  so  many  as  there  used  to  be.  After 
Tillard's  death  the  boys  over  to  the  Run  organized 


ivo     ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

a  b'ar  hunt,  and  we  brought  in  six  o'  the  critters. 
Reckon  thet  scart  the  others — leas'wise  no  b'ars 
showed  up  f er  a  long  while  after." 

Out  on  Tillard's  Pond  a  stiff  breeze  was  blow 
ing,  and  consequently  their  progress  was  not  as 
rapid  as  it  had  been,  nor  were  any  of  them  as 
warm  as  formerly. 

"  We're  going  to  have  a  cold  first  night,  I  can 
tell  you  that,"  said  Dick,  and  his  prediction  proved 
true.  By  the  time  the  sun  sank  to  rest  behind  the 
mountain  in  the  west  it  was  "  snapping  cold,"  as 
Tom  expressed  it.  The  wind  increased  until  to 
go  forward  was  almost  impossible. 

"  I  know  a  pretty  good  place  to  rest  in,"  said 
the  guide.  "  It  isn't  over  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
here.  If  we  can  make  that  we'll  be  all  right  till 
mornin'." 

John  Barrow  led  the  way,  pulling  one  of  the 
sleds,  and  the  boys  followed.  Poor  Sam  was 
getting  winded  and  skated  only  with  the  greatest 
of  difficulty. 

It  was  dark  when  they  reached  the  location  the 
guide  had  in  mind — a  rocky  wall  on  one  side  of 
the  river.  At  one  point  there  was  a  split  in  the 
rocks.  This  was  overgrown  at  the  top  with 
cedars  and  brushwood,  forming  something  of  a 
cave,  ten  or  twelve  feet  wide  and  twice  as  deep, 
the  bottom  of  which  was  of  rock  and  fairly 
smooth. 


WILD   TURKEYS.  12? 

"  I  camped  here  two  winters  ago,"  said  John 
Barrow,  as  he  called  a  halt.  "  I  laced  up  the 
cedars  above  and  they  formed  a  fust-rate  roof." 

"  I  guess  they  are  pretty  well  laced  still,"  ob 
served  Dick.  "  They  seem  to  hold  the  snow  very 
well.  But  we  won't  dare  to  make  a  fire  in  there." 

"  We'll  build  a  fire  in  front,  in  this  hollow, 
Dick.  That  will  throw  a  good  deal  of  hot  air 
into  the  place,  and  if  we  wrap  ourselves  in  our 
blankets  we'll  be  warm  enough." 

Everyone  in  the  party  was  anxious  to  get  out  of 
the  nipping  wind,  and  they  lost  no  time  in  enter 
ing  the  "  cave,"  as  Sam  called  it.  The  entrance 
was  low,  and  by  placing  the  two  sleds  in  ah 
upright  position  on  either  side  they  left  an  open 
ing  not  over  a  yard  wide.  Directly  in  front  of 
this  the  boys  started  a  roaring  fire,  cutting  down 
several  dwarf  cedars  for  that  purpose. 

"  I  don't  much  like  the  looks  o'  the  sky  to 
night,"  observed  John  Barrow,  after  preparing 
one  of  the  turkeys  for  cooking. 

"Do  you  think  there  is  a  storm  coming?" 
asked  Tom. 

"  Looks  to  me  like  snow,  an'  plenty  of  it." 

"  I  hope  it  doesn't  come  until  we  reach  Bear 
Pond,"  said  Dick.  "  I  don't  want  Dan  Baxter 
and  his  crowd  to  get  ahead  of  us." 

"  They  won't  have  no  better  time  o'  it  than  we'll 
have,"  was  the  guide's  grim  comment.  "  Amt  no 


I22      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

fun  trampin'  over  the  mountains  with  the  snow 
comin'  down  heavily;  I  can  tell  you  that." 

The  wind  continued  to  increase,  and  after  the 
supper  was  cooked  and  brought  into  the  shelter, 
the  guide  took  it  upon  himself  to  bank  the  fire 
with  great  care,  that  it  might  not  blow  into  the 
forest  and  start  a  big  conflagration. 

"  We've  had  some  terrible  fires  here,"  he  said, 
"  One  threatened  my  barn  two  years  ago,  and  we 
had  to  stay  out  two  days  an'  a  night  a-fightin'  it. 
It  would  be  a  bad  thing  a  night  like  this." 

To  keep  out  the  cold,  Dick  crawled  to  the  top 
of  the  opening  and  bound  in  the  cedar  limbs 
closer  than  ever.  He  also  got  some  brush-wood 
and  some  vines,  and  on  these  placed  a  thick  layer 
of  snow. 

"  That's  fine !  "  cried  Sam,  from  below.  "  It's 
almost  as  tight  as  the  roof  of  a  cabin." 

Tightening  the  roof  made  a  big  difference  in 
side,  and  when  they  had  hung  up  a  blanket  behind 
the  upright  sleds,  and  placed  some  cedar  brush  on 
the  floor,  it  was  very  cozy.  They  had  brought 
along  some  candles,  and  one  of  these  was  lit  and 
placed  in  a  lantern  which  was  in  one  of  the  packs. 
It  was  not  a  bright  light,  but  it  was  better  than 
sitting  in  the  dark,  and  it  seemed  to  make  the 
shelter  warmer  than  ever. 


CHAPTER  XVL 

ON   THE   WRONG  TRAIL. 

ONE  of  the  turkeys  was  finished  even  to  the 
neck  piece,  and  then  both  Tom  and  Sam  declared 
that  they  were  so  sleepy  they  could  scarcely  keep 
their  eyes  open. 

"  It  must  be  the  mountain  air,"  said  Dick. 
"  I'm  sleepy,  too.  Let  us  turn  in." 

"Will  anybody  have  to  stand  watch?"  asked 
Sam. 

At  this  John  Barrow  shook  his  head.  "  Don't 
know  as  it's  necessary,"  he  said.  "  Reckon  we're 
safe  enough.  I'll  keep  my  gun  handy,  in  case 
any  animal  prowls  around." 

The  boys  laid  down  and  were  soon  in  the  land 
of  dreams.  Tom  and  Sam  slept  near  the  back 
wall,  with  Dick  next,  and  the  guide  near  the  open 
ing,  which,  however,  was  now  completely  closed 
by  the  blanket.  The  fire  was  allowed  to  die  down, 
for  they  did  not  dare  to  build  it  up,  with  such  a 
wind  blowing. 

Nothing  came  to  disturb  them.  Once  during 
the  night  Dick  roused  up  and  heard  the  distant 


ROFER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

howling  of  a  wolf.  But  the  beast  did  not  venture 
close  to  the  shelter,  and  while  waiting  for  its 
appearance  the  youth  dropped  asleep  again. 

By  midnight  the  wind  fell  a  little,  and  then  it 
began  to  snow,  and  it  was  still  snowing  when 
John  Barrow  leaped  up,  pushed  the  blanket  aside, 
and  gazed  out  upon  the  river. 

"  Hullo,  we're  in  for  it  now ! "  he  cried,  and  as 
the  boys  sat  up,  he  added :  "  Snowin' — mighty 
hard,  too." 

"I  should  say  it  was  snowing  hard!"  cried 
Tom,  as  he,  too,  looked  out  "  Why,  you  can't 
see  the  trees  on  the  other  side,  and  they  aren't 
more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  off." 

"This  will  make  traveling  bad,"  said  Dick 
soberly.  "  It  almost  looks  as  if  we  were  going 
to  be  snowed  in." 

"  Snowed  in?  "  echoed  Sam.  "  Oh,  don't  say 
that!" 

The  boys  was  somewhat  stiff  after  their  long 
skate  of  the  day  before,  and  it  took  them  some 
minutes  to  pull  themselves  together.  Then  the 
curtain  was  pushed  aside,  and  the  fire  started  up 
with  some  dry  brushwood  from  the  pile  on  which 
they  had  slept  Soon  breakfast  was  ready,  94 
this  warmed  them  up  and  put  new  life  in  them. 

"  No  use  to  finger  here,"  announced  the  guide, 
"  It  won't  git  no  better  an'  it  may  git  a  heap  sight 
worse.  I  reckon  the  wind  kept  some  o'  the  spots 


ON  TOE  WRONG  TRAIL.  1*5 

on  the  river  dear.  I  know  a  good  camping  spot 
ten  miles  from  here,  and  that  win  be  just  the  place 
for  us  while  yon  are  huntin'  around  f er  that 
money." 

"Then  let  us  make  that  camping  spot  by  aH 
means,"  said  Tom.  "  We  mustn't  let  Baxter  get 
first  whack  at  the  treasure." 

It  was  eight  o'clock  when  they  started  once 
more  on  their  journey.  The  air  was  dull  and 
heavy,  and  the  snow  came  down  in  thick  flakes, 
which  praacntly  shut  out  the  landscape  on  aD  sides. 
Fortunately  the  wind  had  died  down  entirely,  so 
it  was  not  near  so  cold  as  it  had  been. 

"  It  would  be  easy  enough,  if  we  could  stick  to 
the  river  all  the  way,"  remarked  Tom  to  Sam,  as 
they  skated  along  as  best  they  could. 

"Can't  we?" 

"  Mr.  Barrow  says  not  About  two  miles  from 
here  are  another  falls  and  a  set  of  rocky  rapids, 
and  well  have  to  walk  around  for  a  distance  of 
nearly  a  mile  through  the  woods." 

What  Tom  said  was  true,  and  the  falls  were 
reached  less  than  an  hour  later.  The  river  was 
very  narrow  at  this  point  and  lined  on  both  sides 
with  rough  rocks.  Climbing  was  difficult,  and 
after  crawling  along  for  a  few  rods  die  boys 
hatted  in  dismay. 

"We're  up  against  it  now,"  groaned  Dick. 

"  Don't  be  discouraged,  lads! "  came  from  the 


126      ROVER  BOYS  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS. 

guide.  "  It  isn't  so  bad  a  short  distance  further 
on.  Follow  me."  And  he  started  again,  and 
there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  fall  in  behind 
him. 

John  Barrow  and  Dick  carried  one  sled,  and 
Tom  and  Sam  the  other.  In  some  places  the 
cedars  and  brush  were  so  thick  that  those  in 
advance  pushed  through  only  with  extreme  diffi 
culty. 

"  Well,  we  haven't  got  the  task  of  breaking  the 
way,"  said  Tom,  as  he  and  Sam  stopped  to  get 
their  wind.  "  It's  no  fool  job  to  break  through 
this  thicket." 

"  We  are  going  up  a  hill,"  returned  Sam. 
"  We  must  be  getting  away  from  the  river." 

The  guide  and  Dick  had  disappeared  ahead, 
and,  fearful  of  losing  them,  the  younger  Rovers 
set  off  once  more.  Carrying  the  heavy  sled  up  the 
hill  was,  however,  a  great  task,  especially  for 
Sam,  and  once  at  the  top  they  had  to  rest  again. 

"  I  believe  it  would  have  been  just  as  easy  to 
have  kept  to  the  river,"  declared  Tom.  "  See, 
there  it  is,  to  our  left." 

"  It  certainly  doesn't  look  very  rough  down 
there,"  was  his  brother's  comment.  "  Gracious, 
but  Dick  and  Mr.  Barrow  plow  along  like  steam 
engines!  "  he  added.  "  I  can't  go  so  fast." 

"  We  won't  hurry,  there  is  no  need.  The  trail 
is  plain  enough,"  said  Tom,  and  so  they  rested 


ON  THE  WRONG  TRAIL.  127 

fully  quarter  of  an  hour.  Then  they  heard  Dick 
calling  to  them  from  a  long  distance  ahead. 

"  All  right;  we're  coming!  "  Tom  called  back. 
"  Just  please  don't  go  so  awfully  fast !  " 

"  We  are  going  to  take  the  trail  to  the  left! " 
Dick  shouted  back,  but  the  others  did  hot  catdi 
the  words. 

Tom  and  Sam  advanced  now  slower  than  ever, 
and  when  they  reached  a  spot  where  there  was  an 
opening  to  the  right  and  another  to  the  left,  the 
others  were  not  only  out  of  sight,  but  out  of  hear 
ing  as  well.  It  had  now  begun  to  snow  more 
thickly  than  ever. 

"  Which  way  did  they  take?  "  questioned  Sam, 
in  perplexity. 

"  Reckon  they  went  this  way,  Sam." 

"  It  looks  to  me  as  if  they  went  the  other  way. 
Here  are  some  footprints." 

"  Here  are  some  footprints,  too." 

They  came  to  a  standstill,  more  perplexed  than 
ever.  Sure  enough,  there  were  two  sets  of  foot 
prints,  running  almost  at  right  angles  to  each 
other. 

"  I  guess  we've  hit  somebody  else's  trail,"  said 
Sam.  "Dick!  Mr.  Barrow!  Where  are  you?" 
he  called  out. 

No  answer  came  back,  and  then  the  two  boys 
shouted  in  chorus.  All  remained  as  silent  as 
before. 


I28      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  Well,  this  is  a  mess,  to  say  the  least,"  was 
Tom's  comment.  "  How  are  we  to  know  which 
trail  to  follow?" 

"  I  move  we  make  a  sure  thing  of  it  and  get 
down  to  the  river  again,"  was  Sam's  answer. 
"  Then  we'll  be  certain  to  be  on  the  right  track. 
As  soon  as  they  reach  the  river  they'll  wait  for 
us." 

This  seemed  sensible  advice,  and  leaving  both 
trails  the  boys  plunged  through  the  cedar  brakes 
to  where  they  had  seen  the  icy  surface  of  the 
stream.  They  had  to  make  several  turns,  and 
once  Tom  lost  his  footing  and  rolled  over  and 
over  in  the  snow.  But  at  last  they  gained  the 
smooth  ice,  and  then  each  breathed  a  long  sigh  of 
relief. 

"  It's  ten  times  better  than  climbing  around," 
observed  Sam.  "  The  rapids  and  rocks  amount 
(to  next  to  nothing.  I  don't  see  why  Mr.  Barrow 
gave  us  all  that  extra  climbing." 

"  Perhaps  the  river  has  changed  since  he  was 
up  here  last,"  said  Tom.  "  Anyway,  it's  a  good 
bit  narrower  here  than  it  was  further  back." 

Sliding  down  the  hillside  had  loosened  the  load 
on  the  sled,  and  they  had  to  spend  a  good  five 
minutes  in  fastening  it  and  mending  a  strap  that 
had  broken.  Then  several  minutes  more  were 
consumed  in  putting  on  their  skates. 

"  My !  how  it  does  snow !  "  came  from  Tom,  as 


ON  THE  WRONG  TRAIL.  129 

they  started  at  last.  "  I  can't  see  fifty  feet 
ahead." 

"  Nor  I,  Tom.  I  really  wish  we  were  with 
Dick  and  Mr.  Barrow." 

"  So  do  I,  but  I  guess  it's  all  right." 

Forward  they  pushed,  dragging  the  sled  after 
them.  It  was  rough  work,  and  the  ice  was  often 
covered  too  deep  with  snow  to  make  skating  a 
pleasure. 

"  It  seems  to  me  the  river  is  getting  narrower 
than  ever,"  said  Sam.  "  It's  queer,  too,  for  Mr. 
Barrow  said  it  was  quite  broad  near  the  lake." 

"  He  said  one  of  the  branches  was  broad,  Sam. 
$Ve  must  be  on  a  different  branch." 

"  Let  us  call  to  them  again." 

Once  more  they  cried  out,  at  the  top  of  their 
lungs.  But  nothing  answered  them,  not  even  a 
muffled  echo.  All  was  swallowed  up  in  the 
loneliness  of  the  situation  and  in  the  fast  falling 
snow,  which  now  covered  even  the  load  on  the 
sled  to  the  depth  of  an  inch  or  more. 

"  Come  on,"  said  Sam  half  desperately.  "  We 
must  catch  up  to  them,  sooner  or  later." 

"  Perhaps  we  are  ahead  of  them." 

"  It  isn't  likely.     Let  us  go  on,  anyway." 

And  on  they  went,  another  quarter  of  a  mile. 
The  stream  was  now  broader,  and  this  raised  their 
hopes  considerably.  But  suddenly  Tom  gave  a 
cry  of  dismay. 


I3o      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  Look,  Sam !  We  have  reached  the  end  of  the 
stream!" 

Sam  strained  his  eyes  and  went  on  a  few  feet 
further.  Then  he  gave  a  groan.  His  brother 
was  right,  the  stream  had  come  to  an  end  in  a 
pond  probably  a  hundred  feet  in  diameter.  They 
had  not  been  following  the  Perch  River  at  all,  but 
merely  a  brook  flowing  into  that  stream ! 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

AN    UNEXPECTED    DISCOVERY. 

"  TOM,  we  have  missed  it !  " 

"  It  looks  like  it,  Sam." 

"  What  we  took  for  the  river  wasn't  the  river 
at  all.  We  must  be  a  mile  or  two  out  of  the 
way." 

"  There  is  nothing  to  do  but  to  go  back,"  was 
the  dismal  response. 

"Don't  you  think  we  might  strike  the  river 
without  going  back?  " 

"  We  might,  and  then  again  we  might  not.  I 
hardly  feel  like  taking  the  risk — in  this  blinding 
snow." 

With  heavy  hearts  the  brothers  turned  the  sled 
around  and  proceeded  on  the  back  trail,  if  such 
the  way  may  be  called.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
snow  had  covered  their  footprints  completely. 

The  wind  was  now  rising  again,  and  it  blew 
directly  into  their  faces.  Alarmed  more  than 
ever,  on  this  account,  they  pushed  on  until  poor 
Sam  was  almost  winded. 

"  I — I  can't  go  on  so  fast,  no  use  in  trying! " 
he  panted.  "  I  feel  ready  to  drop !  " 


I3 a      ROVER  BOYS  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  I'm  fagged  out  myself,"  responded  Tom. 
"  But,  Sam,  we  can't  afford  to  rest  here." 

"  I  know  that,  but  I've  got  to  get  my  wind  back 
somehow.  The  wind  seems  to  be  awfully 
strong." 

They  rested  for  several  minutes,  and  then 
pushed  on  again,  Tom  dragging  the  sled  alone. 
It  was  a  bitter  journey,  and  both  would  have 
given  a  good  deal  to  have  been  with  Dick  and  the 
guide  once  more. 

"  We  missed  it  when  we  didn't  keep  up  with 
them  in  the  first  place,"  was  Tom's  comment. 
"  However,  there's  no  use  in  crying  over  spilt 
milk,  as  the  saying  goes.  We  must  make  the  best 
of  it." 

"  There  isn't  any  best,"  grumbled  Sam.  "  It's 
all  worst !  "  And  then  Tom  laughed,  in  spite  of 
the  seriousness  of  the  situation. 

At  last  they  gained  the  spot  where  they  had 
first  struck  the  brook,  and  here  they  halted  again. 

"  The  worst  of  it  is,  there  is  no  telling  how  far 
this  brook  runs  before  it  empties  into  the  Perch 
River,"  observed  Tom.  "  We  may  have  to  gr 
two  or  three  miles  out  of  our  way." 

"  We  may  as  well  climb  up  the  hill  again,  Tom, 
and  try  to  follow  one  of  those  trails." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right." 

They  talked  the  matter  over  and  at  last  began 
to  climb  the  hill,  now  more  difficult  than  before, 


'AN   UNEXPECTED   DISCOVERY.  133 

since  the  snow  was  several  inches  deeper.  It  took 
a  long  while  to  gain  the  top,  and  still  longer  to 
find  the  spot  where  they  had  left  the  trail. 

"  Here  we  are,"  said  Tom,  resting  on  a  fallen 
tree  which  marked  the  locality.  "  Now  the  all- 
important  question  is,  which  way  next?  " 

"  Tom,  I  believe  we  are  getting  lost,"  came 
from  Sam,  in  a  dismal  tone. 

"  I  don't  think  we're  getting  lost,  Sam;  we  are 
lost,  no  two  ways  about  it.  We've  got  to  keep 
our  eyes  open  and  our  wits  about  us,  or  we'll  be 
getting  into  a  first-class  mess." 

"It  must  be  almost  noon,"  went  on  the  youngest 
Rover,  and  pulled  out  his  watch.  "  Phew !  Hadf- 
past  twelve ! " 

"  Thought  I  was  hungry.  Is  there  anything 
in  this  load  good  to  eat?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  Let  us  look  and  see.  We 
can't  go  on,  hungry." 

They  unstrapped  the  load  and  examined  it. 
There  were  blankets  there  and  some  camp  uten 
sils,  and  a  box  containing  crackers,  cheese,  and 
chipped  beef. 

;      "  Crackers  and  cheese  will  do  on  a  pinch," 
'  said  Tom.     "  Come,  we  mustn't  lose  more  time 
than  is  necessary." 

Yet  eating  and  resting  was  very  pleasant,  and 
they  spent  the  best  part  of  half  an  hour  under  the 
sheltering  limbs  of  a  big  cedar  tree.  Both  were 


I34      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THR  MOUNTAINS. 

dry,  but  eating  snow  did  not  seem  to  quench  their 
thirst.  The  wind  increased  as  they  ate,  but  the 
snow  now  came  down  more  lightly. 

They  decided  to  strike  out  on  something  of  a 
trail  running  to  the  northwest.  It  was  hard  work 
hauling  and  carrying  the  sled  over  the  rocks  and 
through  the  bushes,  and  they  often  had  to  halt  for 
breath. 

"  There  goes  something !  "  cried  Tom  presently. 
"  Sam,  did  you  see  it  ?  " 

"  I  saw  something,  but  it  disappeared  before  I 
could  make  out  what  it  was." 

The  object  had  crossed  their  path  a  hundred 
feet  ahead  of  them.  Now  it  reappeared  some 
what  closer,  and  both  boys  saw  that  it  was  a  lean 
and  hungry-looking  wolf. 

"A  wolf '."cried  Sam. 

"  Wonder  if  I  hadn't  better  shoot  him,"  said 
Tom,  unslinging  his  gun. 

"  Better  save  your  powder,  Tom.  I  don't  be 
lieve  he'll  attack  us — at  least  not  while  it  is 
light" 

"  A  shot  might  bring  an  answering  signal  from 
Dick,"  went  on  Tom  suddenly.  "  What  fools  we 
have  been,  not  to  think  of  that  before !  " 

The  wolf  kept  hidden  and  Tom  did  not  shoot, 
expecting  to  see  the  beast  reappear  at  any  instant. 
On  they  went,  keeping  an  eye  on  the  bushes  and 
trees  on  both  sides  of  them.  Once  they  heard  the 


'AN   UNEXPECTED   DISCOVERY.  135 

patter  of  the  wolf's  feet  on  a  stretch  of  bare  rocks, 
but  that  was  all. 

"  I'll  fire  a  shot,  anyway,"  said  Tom  at  last,  and 
aimed  in  the  direction  where  they  had  heard  the 
sounds  last.  To  his  intense  surprise  a  yelp  and  a 
snarl  followed. 

"  Great  Caesar !  I  hit  him  after  all,"  began 
Tom,  and  then  leaped  back.  "  Look  out,  Sam, 
he's  coming  for  us !  ' 

Tom  was  right.  The  wolf,  wounded  in  the 
left  flank,  had  suddenly  appeared.  His  eyes 
blazed  with  pain  and  fury,  and  he  made  as  if  to 
spring  upon  the  boys. 

Tom  was  in  front  of  the  sled  and  Sam  behind 
it.  With  a  quick  leap  Tom  cleared  the  load  and 
took  up  a  position  beside  the  youngest  Rover. 

The  wolf  made  the  leap,  but  stopped  short  on 
the  top  of  the  load.  As  he  prepared  to  spring 
again  Tom  swung  his  gun  around  by  the  barrel 
and  hit  the  wolf  a  smart  rap  on  the  head.  The 
animal  rolled  over  on  the  ground. 

"  Shoot  him,  Sam !  " 

"  I  will,  if  I  can !  "  came  from  Sam,  who  had 
now  unslung  his  gun.  Taking  a  quick  aim,  he 
fired. 

The  shot  proved  a  good  one,  for  it  took  the 
wolf  directly  in  the  neck,  just  as  he  was  scram 
bling  to  rise.  Again  he  gave  a  yelp,  and  then 
began  to  turn  over  and  over  in  his  intense  pain. 


136      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Of  a  sudden  he  leaped  up  and  landed  on  Tom's 
shoulder. 

For  the  instant  poor  Tom  thought  his  last 
moment  had  come.  But  as  the  beast  landed  Sam 
struck  it  with  his  gun,  and  down  it  went  once 
more,  snarling  viciously.  Then  it  rolled  and 
tossed  until  some  brush  was  gained,  when  it 
managed  to  hide  itself  and  crawl  away ,  seriously, 
if  not  mortally,  wounded. 

"  He's  gone !  "  came  from  Sam. 

"  Well,  don't  go  after  him,"  panted  Tom. 
"  Let  him  go  and  welcome.  I  never  want  to  see 
him  again." 

"  Nor  I." 

Both  reloaded  with  all  haste — having  learned 
years  before  that  it  is  foolish  to  remain  in  the 
wilds  with  an  empty  firearm.  Then  they  waited, 
to  see  if  the  wolf  would  return. 

"Hark!"  cried  Sam.  "Did  you  hear  that 
shot,  Tom?" 

"  I  did.  I  think  it  came  from  that  direction." 
[And  Tom  pointed  with  his  hand. 

"  I  think  so  myself.  It  must  be  Dick  or  Mr. 
Barrow,  firing." 

"  More  than  likely.     Let  us  follow  up  the ' 
shot." 

They  listened,  but  no  more  shots  fdllowed,  and 
then  they  went  on,  over  a  stretch  which  was  com 
paratively  smooth  and  free  from  brushwood.  But 


AN   UNEXPECTED   DISCOVERY.  137 

though  they  covered  a  quarter  of  a  mile  they  saw 
nothing  either  of  the  river  or  of  their  lost  com 
panions. 

"  We're  getting  lost  more  than  ever,"  groaned 
Sam.  "  I  declare  I  haven't  the  least  idea  where 
we  are." 

"  I'm  going  to  fire  another  shot,"  answered  his 
brother,  and  proceeded  to  do  so. 

Both  listened  with  strained  ears,  and  soon  ah 
answering  shot  came  back,  slightly  to  the  left  of 
the  path  they  had  been  pursuing. 

"  Thank  fortune,  we  are  getting  closer !  "  cried 
Sam.  "  Come  on !  " 

As  worn  out  as  they  were,  they  resumed  the 
dragging  of  the  sled  through  the  snow.  Once 
Sam  had  suggested  they  abandon  the  load,  but 
Tom  would  not  hear  of  this,  for  he  knew  they 
could  not  very  well  do  without  this  portion  of  the 
outfit. 

The  wind  was  blowing  heavily,  and  high  over 
head  they  heard  the  tree-tops  creak  ominously. 
Once  in  a  while  a  tree  branch  would  unload  itself, 
sending  down  a  great  mass  of  snow  on  their  heads. 
But  they  pushed  on,  determined  to  rest  no  more 
until  the  others  of  the  party  should  be  sighted. 

Presently  they  came  to  a  clearing  overlooking 
ar  small  pond  and  a  stream  beyond.  At  first  Tom 
imagined  that  this  was  the  pond  they  had  left  but 
a  short  while  before,  but  a  second  look  showed 


I38      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

him  that  the  locality  was  an  entirely  new  one  to 
them. 

"  My  gracious,  Tom !  Get  out  of  sight !  "  came 
in  an  excited  whisper  from  Sam,  and  he  pulled  his 
brother  down  behind  a  clump  of  bushes,  and  theri 
dragged  the  sled  after  him. 

"  What  do  you  see?  "  demanded  Tom. 

"  Look  across  the  pond.  As  sure  as  you  fere 
born,  there  are  Dan  Baxter  and  Jasper  Grinder. 
We've  been  following  them  instead  of  Dick  and 
Mr.  Barrow ! " 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

IN   THE   CAMP   OF   THE   ENEMY. 

WHAT  Sam  said  was  true.  There,  gathered 
around  a  fire  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  pond, 
were  Dan  Baxter,  Jasper  Grinder,  and  a  tall, 
powerfully  built  fellow  whom  they  easily  guessed 
was  Bill  Harney,  the  guide.  They  had  two  sleds 
with  them,  and  one  of  these  had  been  unloaded 
and  the  camping  outfit  lay  scattered  around. 

"  Well,  this  is  a  surprise  and  no  mistake !  "  was 
Tom's  comment,  in  a  low  voice.  "  If  I  know 
anything  about  it,  they  must  have  done  some 
quick  traveling." 

"  I  believe  they  followed  the  river,  at  least 
part  of  the  way,"  returned  the  youngest  Rover. 
"  I  see  a  pair  of  skates  lying  by  one  of  the  sleds." 

"  Do  you  suppose  Dick  and  Mr.  Barrow  met 
them?" 

"  I  don't  believe  they  did.  See,  they  have 
some  rabbits  they  are  going  to  cook.  That  ac 
counts  for  the  shots  we  heard." 

Crouching  down  behind  the  bushes,  the  two 
Rovers  watched  the  other  party  with  interest,  fit 
139 


i4o      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

lively  conversation  was  going  on  between  Dan 
Baxter  and  the  former  teacher  of  Putnam  Hall, 
but  they  were  too  far  off  to  catch  anything  of  what 
was  said. 

"What  do  you  propose  doing  next?"  asked 
Sam,  after  a  pause  of  several  minutes.  "  It's 
mighty  cold  here." 

"  We  may  as  well  retreat,  Sam.  We  don't 
want  to  expose  ourselves,  do  we?  " 

"  I  don't  suppose  it  would  do  any  good — 
although  I'm  not  afraid  of  Baxter,  or  Grinder 
either." 

"  It  isn't  that.  If  they  know  we  have  arrived 
here,  they  will  do  all  they  can  to  locate  that 
treasure  first.  We  want  to  keep  dark  and  get 
ahead  of  them." 

"  But  how  shall  we  turn  ?  " 

"  We'll  have  to  go  back  to  where  we  found  the 
two  trails  crossed  and  then  try  the  other  one.  I 
don't  know  of  anything  else  to  do." 

"  Wouldn't  Dan  Baxter  be  surprised,  if  he 
knew  we  were  so  close?  " 

"  Well,  we  won't  let  him  know." 

"Why  not?"  demanded  an  unexpected  voice 
from  the  rear. 

Both  boys  started  and  turned  around,  to  find 
themselves  confronted  by  Lemuel  Husty,  the  man 
Dick  had  seen  in  company  with  Baxter  at  Cedar- 
ville. 


IN   THE  CAMP  OF  THE  ENEMY.        141 

"  Hullo,  who  are  you  ?  "  asked  Tom,  as  quickly 
as  he  could  recover  from  his  surprise. 

"If  you  want  to  know  real  bad,  youngster,  my 
name  is  Lemuel  Husty." 

"  I  don't  know  you." 

"  But  I  know  you — leas' wise  I  know  of  you," 
went  on  Husty,  with  a  frown.  "  You're  down 
on  my  friend  Baxter,  aint  you?  " 

"  If  we  are,  we  have  a  good  reason  to  be," 
came  from  Sam. 

"  Perhaps  you  have,  and  then  again,  perhaps 
you  haven't.  It  aint  no  nice  thing  to  be  cotched 
spying,  though." 

"  We  weren't  spying.  We  came  up  quite  by 
accident." 

"  You  can  tell  that  to  the  monkeys,  but  you  can't 
tell  it  to  me,"  growled  Lemuel  Husty.  Then  he 
raised  his  voice :  "  I  say,  Baxter !  I  say,  you 
fellows !  Come  over  here !  " 

The  three  around  the  camp-fire  looked  up  in 
surprise,  and  were  even  more  surprised  when 
Husty  waved  his  hand  for  them  to  come  to 
him. 

"  What's  wanted  ?  "  demanded  Dan  Baxter. 

"  I've  found  two  of  your  very  intimate  friends 
spying  on  you,"  answered  Husty. 

"  I  guess  we  had  better  get  out,"  whispered 
Sam  to  Tom,  hot  liking  the  turn  affairs  had  taken. 

"  I'm  with  you,"  returned  Tom. 


I4a      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  No,  you  don't ! "  cried  Husty,  and  caught 
hold  of  the  sled.  "  You  just  stay  here  until  we 
talk  this  thing  over." 

Tom's  hands  were  on  his  gun,  and  for  the 
moment  he  felt  like  pointing  the  weapon  at  the 
man.  But  then  he  concluded  that  this  would  do 
small  good,  and  the  weapon  remained  where  it 
was. 

In  a  minute  Dan  Baxter  came  running  across 
the  pond,  with  Jasper  Grinder  and  Bill  Harney  at 
his  heels.  Each  of  the  advancing  party  carried 
some  sort  of  firearms. 

"  Tom  and  Sam  Rover !  "  ejaculated  Baxter, 
and  it  was  easy  to  see  that  he  was  completely 
surprised.  "  How  did  you  get  here?  " 

"  Walked  and  skated,"  returned  Tom,  as  coolly 
as  he  could. 

"  You've  got  a  nerve  to  follow  me  and  my 
party,"  went  on  Baxter,  with  an  ugly  scowl. 

"  As  I  just  said  to  this  man,  Baxter,  we  haven't 
been  following  you,"  put  in  Sam.  "  We  struck 
your  trail  by  accident.  We  thought  we  were 
fallowing " 

"  Never  mind  about  that,  Sam,"  interrupted 
Tom  quickly. 

"Who  did  you  think  you  were  following?" 
demanded  Dan  Baxter. 

"  It's  hone  of  your  business,  Baxter.  We  have 
as  much  right  to  be  here  as  you  have." 


IN   THE  CAMP   OF   THE  ENEMY.         143 

"  Humph !  Don't  you  suppose  I  know  why  you 
came?  " 

"  More  than  likely  you  do,  and  we  know  why 
you  came." 

"Have  you  got  another  map?"  demanded 
Baxter,  in  curiosity. 

"  It's  none  of  your  affair  what  we  have.  We 
stumbled  upon  you  by  accident,  and  if  you  haven't 
anything  in  particular  to  say  to  us  we'll  be 
going." 

"  You  needn't  leave  so  quickly.  Where  is 
Dick?" 

"  He  isn't  so  very  far  off." 

"  You  hired  John  Barrow  for  a  guide,  I  heard," 
put  in  Bill  Harney. 

"  If  we  did,  we  had  a  right  to  do  it,"  said  Sam. 

"  He  don't  know  these  parts  as  well  as  he  might 
If  you  don't  look  out  he'll  lose  you  in  the  moun 
tains,  and  you'll  never  get  home  alive." 

"  Let  him  lose  them,"  put  in  Baxter  quickly. 
"It's  what  they  deserve.  But,  come,  it's  cold 
over  here.  Let's  move  back  to  the  fire.  And  I 
want  you  two  to  come  along,"  he  added,  to  the 
Rovers. 

"  We  don't  propose  to  come  along,"  replied 
Tom. 

"  And  I  say  you  shall  come,  Tom  Rover.  Wei 
are  four  to  two,  and  you  had  better  submit." 

"  Yes,  make  them  come,"  put  in  Jasper  Grinder. 


144      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  I  want  to  have  a  talk  with  them."  And  he 
glared  wickedly,  first  at  Tom  and  then  at  Sam. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Tom  and  Sam  felt  in 
anything  but  an  enviable  position.  They  knew 
Dan  Baxter  thoroughly,  and  knew  he  would  stop 
at  nothing  to  accomplish  his  purpose. 

"  The  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  leave  us 
alone,"  said  Tom  steadily.  "  You  have  always 
got  the  worst  of  the  bargain,  Dan  Baxter,  and  if 
you  try  any  game  on  now,  you'll  miss  it  again." 

"  I'll  risk  it,  Tom  Rover.  Come  now,  and  no 
more  fooling.  If  you  behave  yourself,  there 
won't  be  any  trouble." 

There  was,  then,  nothing  to  do  but  to  follow, 
for  neither  of  the  Rovers  wished  to  lose  this 
portion  of  the  outfit.  Soon  the  whole  party  were 
gathered  around  the  fire,  which  Husty  heaped  high 
with  brushwood.  Back  of  the  fire  was  a  high 
cliff,  topped  with  cedars,  which  kept  off  the 
wind  and  made  the  situation  a  fairly  comfortable 
one. 

"  Now  we  had  better  come  to  an  understand 
ing,"  said  Dan  Baxter,  as  he  warmed  his  hands. 
"  We  all  know  what  we  are  out  here  for,  so  there 
is  no  use  in  mincing  matters." 

"  I  understand  all  I  want  to  know,"  answered 
Tom  briefly. 

"  So  do  I,"  put  in  Sam. 

"Baxter  shall  settle  with  you,  and  then  I'll 


IN   THE  CAMP  OF   THE  ENEMY.         145 

settle,"  growled  Jasper  Grinder.  "  I  have  not 
forgotten  how  I  was  treated  at  Putnam  Hall 
because  of  you." 

"  It  served  you  right  that  you  were  kicked  out," 
said  Sam,  without  stopping  to  think  twice. 

"  Ha !  you  dare  to  talk  to  me  in  this  fashion !  " 
roared  the  former  teacher.  "  I'll  teach  you  a 
lesson !  Just  wait  till  I  find  a  good  switch !  " 

"  Hold  on,  Grinder!  one  at  a  time,"  put  in  Dan 
Baxter.  "  I'll  settle  with  them  first,  if  you 
please." 

"  They  deserve  a  thorough  thrashing,"  grum 
bled  the  irate  man. 

"  Now  I  want  you  to  tell  me  the  truth,"  went 
oh  Dan  Baxter,  addressing  Tom  and  Sam. 
"  Where  did  you  get  a  map  of  that  treasure?  In 
the  cave  on  that  island?  " 

"  We  haven't  said  we  had  a  map,"  returned 
Tom. 

"  But  you  must  have  a  map — or  something 
like  it." 

"  Whatever  we  have,  it's  none  of  your  business, 
Dan  Baxter,"  broke  in  Sam. 

"  Shut  up,  you  little  imp !  Don't  you  know 
you  are  in  my  power !  "  stormed  Baxter,  in  a  rage. 
"  I  can  do  as  I  please  out  here,  and  these  three 
men  will  help  me." 

As  he  finished  he  caught  Sam  by  the  collar  and 
began  to  shake  him. 


146      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"Let  my  brother  alone!"  ejaculated  Tom. 
"Letup,  I  say!" 

"  I  won't,  Tom  Rover.  He's  got  to  learn  that 
I'm  the  master  here,"  howled  Baxter. 

"  If  you  don't  let  go,  I'll  hit  you,"  went  on  Tom, 
and  raised  his  right  fist.  But  ere  he  could  deliver 
the  blow  Bill  Harney  rushed  behind  him,  caught 
him  by  the  waist  and  threw  him  flat. 

"  That's  right !  "  shouted  Dan  Baxter.  "  Make 
them  both  prisoners!  I've  got  a  big  score  to 
settle  with  them !  " 

And  then  all  four  fell  upon  Sam  and  Tom,  and 
a  fierce  struggle  ensued,  the  outcome  of  which  was 
for  some  time  hard  to  predict 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

DICK    AND    THE  WILDCAT. 

"  WELL,  it's  mighty  funny  Tom  and  Sam  don't 
come  up." 

It  was  Dick  who  spoke.  He  stood  in  the  shel 
ter  of  a  number  of  walnut  trees,  and  close  at  hand 
was  John  Barrow. 

The  pair  had  missed  the  others  ten  minutes 
before,  and  were  now  waiting  impatiently  for 
their  reappearance. 

"  It  can't  be  as  how  they  missed  the  trail  in  this 
snow,"  said  John  Barrow  soberly.  "  Let  us 
shout  for  'em." 

They  set  up  a  shout,  and  waited  impatiently  for 
an  answer.  But  none  came,  and  they  called 
again. 

"  We  had  better  go  back  for  them,"  said  Dick, 
his  face  full  of  a  troubled  look.  "  I  wouldn't 
have  them  get  lost  in  this  snowstorm  for  the 
world." 

It  was  decided  to  leave  the  sled  where  it  was, 
and  soon  they  were  hurrying  along  the  back  trail. 
But  the  snow  and  wind  were  against  them,  and 
they  made  slow  progress. 

"It  will  not  be  necessary  to  relate  all  the  particu- 


I48      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

lars  of  the  next  three  hours.  In  vain  they  looked 
for  Tom  and  Sam.  Not  a  trace  of  the  missing 
lads  could  be  discovered. 

"  This  the  worst  yet ! "  groaned  Dick,  as  he 
came  to  a  halt,  all  out  of  breath.  "  I  thought,  all 
along,  that  they  were  keeping  close  behind  us !  " 

"  I  told  them  to  do  so,"  returned  the  guide. 

They  had  fired  several  shots,  but  the  reports  had 
failed,  as  we  know,  to  reach  the  ears  of  the  miss 
ing  Rovers.  They  were  now  at  their  wits'  end 
regarding  what  to  do  next. 

"  I'd  give  a  hundred  dollars  rather  than  have 
this  happen,"  went  on  Dick.  "  Why,  they'll 
starve  to  death  if  they  really  get  lost !  " 

"Oh,  aint  you  mistaken  there,  Dick?  They 
have  the  other  sled,  remember;  and  each  o'  'em 
has  a  gun  for  to  bring  down  any  game  as  is 
wanted." 

"  That's  true,  and  it's  one  comfort.  But  there 
is  no  telling  when  they  reach  civilization  again. 
Why,  this  forest  is  about  as  bad  as  some  places 
in  the  far  West." 

"  I  believe  you  there,  lad.  Well,  they've  got  to 
make  the  best  o'  it.  I  reckon  they'll  strike  out 
for  the  river  and  come  up  that  to  Bear  Pond,  over 
the  rocks  an'  rapids  an'  all." 

Supper  time  found  the  pair  on  the  river  again, 
four  miles  below  Bear  Pond.  It  was  decided 
that  they  should  camp  at  that  spot  for  the  night. 


DICK  'AND   THE   WILDCAT.  149 

"We'll  build  a  big  camp-fire  and  keep  it 
a-going,"  said  Dick.  "  Perhaps  they  will  see  it." 

"  That's  an  idee,"  returned  John  Barrow,  and 
before  doing  anything  else  the  camp-fire  was 
started,  in  an  open  spot  along  the  river  bank. 
Dick  saw  to  it  that  it  blazed  up  merrily,  and  kept 
piling  on  all  the  dry  brushwood  he  could  find, 
until  the  flames  shot  up  fully  twenty  feet  into  the 
air,  making  the  surroundings  as  bright  as  day. 

For  supper  they  cooked  another  of  the  wild 
turkeys,  but  it  must  be  confessed  that  Dick  had 
little  appetite  for  eating.  John  Barrow  noticed 
it,  and  he  did  his  best  to  cheer  up  the  youth. 

"  Don't  worry  too  much,  lad,"  he  said.  "  Take 
my  word  on  it,  they'll  turn  up  by  morning,  sure. 
You've  said  yourself  they've  been  through  putty 
tryin'  times,  in  Africa  and  out  West." 

On  the  way  to  the  river  John  Barrow  had 
brought  down  several  rabbits  and  some  birds,  and 
these  were  hung  up  on  the  low  branches  of  a 
nearby  tree.  They  proceeded  to  make  themselves 
comfortable  under  this  tree,  cutting  down  some 
cedar  branches  for  a  flooring,  and  banking  up 
some  other  branches  and  some  snow  to  keep  off 
the  wind. 

"I  don't  think  I'll  go  to  sleep,"  said  Dick. 
"  I'm  going  to  keep  the  fire  piled  high,  so  that  it 
will  light  up  as  it's  doing  now." 

"  Then  I'll  turn  in  right  away,"  answered  the 


150      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

guide.  "  It's  eight  o'clock.  You  call  me  at 
two,  and  that  will  be  givin'  you  a  fair  nap  afore 
daybreak."  And  so  it  was  agreed. 

It  did  not  take  John  Barrow  long  to  settle  him 
self,  and  soon  he  was  snoring  as  peacefully  as 
though  lying  in  his  bed  at  home.  Sitting  down 
close  to  the  fire,  Dick  gave  himself  up  to  his 
thoughts. 

And  what  numerous  thoughts  they  were — of 
home  and  of  school,  of  his  brothers,  and  of  the 
Baxters  and  their  other  enemies,  and  of  all  that 
had  happened  since  they  had  first  started  to  go  to 
Putnam  Hall.  And  then  he  thought  of  the  Lan- 
ings  and  of  the  Stanhopes,  and  lingered  long  over 
the  mental  picture  of  sweet  Dora  and  of  what  she 
had  last  said  to  him. 

"  She's  just  an  all-right  girl,"  he  said  to  him 
self.  "  Heaven  bless  her  and  keep  her  from  any 
further  trouble!" 

When  the  fire  showed  signs  of  burning  low  he 
arose  and  piled  on  more  brushwood.  There  was 
hardly  enough  at  hand  to  suit  him,  and,  ax  in 
hand,  he  started  back  from  the  river,  to  cut  more. 

He  was  within  fifteen  feet  of  some  dense  bushes 
when  of  a  sudden  he  came  to  a  halt,  as  he  saw  a 
pair  of  gleaming  eyes  glaring  at  him.  As  soon  as 
he  noticed  the  eyes  they  disappeared. 

"  A  wild  animal,"  he  thought.  "  Can  it  be  a 
wolf?" 


DICK  AND    THE    WILDCAT.  151 

Retracing  his  steps  to  the  fire,  he  caught  up  his 
gun  and  waited.  But  the  animal  did  not  appear, 
nor  did  Dick  hear  any  sound  save  the  murmur  of 
the  wind  through  the  snow-clad  trees. 

The  youth  wondered  if  he  ought  to  awaken  the 
.guide,  but  finally  resolved  to  let  John  Barrow 
sleep.  "  I  ought  to  be  able  to  take  care  of  one 
wolf,"  he  reasoned.  "  I've  taken  care  of  worse 
than  that  in  my  time." 

Gun  in  hand,  he  advanced  upon  the  bushes  once 
more.  He  expected  to  see  a  wolf  slink  away  at 
any  moment,  but  no  beast  came  to  view,  and, 
after  walking  completely  around  the  growth,  he 
laid  down  the  gun  and  went  to  work  vigorously 
with  the  ax. 

Bush  after  bush  was  brought  down  in  rapid  suc 
cession,  until  in  ten  minutes  Dick  calculated  he 
had  cut  sufficient  to  last  the  camp-fire  for  the  rest 
of  the  night.  Then  he  lowered  the  ax  and  caught 
up  a  large  bush,  to  drag  it  close  to  the  blaze. 

As  he  turned  around  he  met  a  sight  that,  for  the 
instant,  chilled  him  to  the  backbone.  There,  be 
tween  the  blaze  and  the  tree  under  which  John 
Barrow  was  sleeping,  crouched  a  wildcat,  a  large, 
fierce-looking  creature,  with  fire-shot  eyes  and  a 
stubby  tail  which  was  moving  noiselessly  from 
side  by  side,  as  the  creature  prepared  itself  to 
make  a  leap. 

"  Gracious!  he's  going  to  attack  Mr.  Barrow! " 


I52      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

thought  Dick,  but  even  as  this  flashed  over  his 
mind  the  wildcat  made  a  leap  into  the  tree,  close 
to  where  hung  the  game  the  guide  had  brought 
down  some  hours  before. 

"  Thank  goodness,  he's  only  after  the  meat," 
thought  Dick,  and  the  chill  he  had  experienced 
passed  away.  Then,  struck  with  a  new  idea,  he 
leaped  for  his  gun. 

Several  twigs  of  the  tree  were  in  the  way  of 
getting  a  good  aim,  and  he  had  to  circle  around 
to  the  other  side  before  he  could  get  another  good 
view  of  the  wildcat.  In  the  meantime  the  beast 
had  grabbed  up  the  wild  turkey  that  was  left,  and 
clutching  it  tight  in  its  mouth,  started  to  drop  to 
the  snow-covered  ground. 

Bang!  went  the  gun  and  the  charge  of  heavy 
shot  took  the  wildcat  in  the  left  flank,  making  a 
bad,  but  not  a  fatal,  wound.  The  beast  dropped 
the  wild  turkey  and  let  out  a  fearful  snarl  of  rage. 
Then  it  saw  Dick,  gave  another  snarl,  and  leaped 
toward  the  youth. 

The  gun  was  double-barreled,  and  once  more 
Dick  let  drive.  But  he  was  not  overly  cool,  and 
the  charge  merely  nipped  the  beast  in  its  left  front 
leg.  It  continued  to  come  on,  and  as  it  did  so 
Dick  commenced  to  retreat. 

"  Hi !  what's  up  ?  "  came  from  John  Barrow, 
and  throwing  aside  his  blanket,  he  leaped  to  his 
feet. 


DICK   AND   THE   WILDCAT. — P.   152. 
Boys  in  thr  Mountains 


DICK  AND    THE    WILDCAT.  153 

"A  wildcat!"  ejaculated  Dick.  "Quick! 
Shoot  him ! " 

"  By  gosh !  "  muttered  the  guide,  and  blinking 
in  the  bright  light  of  the  fire,  he  reached  for  his 
rifle,  which  he  had  brought  along  in  addition  to 
his  shotgun. 

By  this  time  the  wildcat  was  close  to  Dick,  and 
now,  watching  its  opportunity,  it  leaped  upon  the 
youth,  trying  to  bury  its  claws  in  Dick's  shoulder. 

Hardly  knowing  what  to  do,  Dick  brought 
around  the  gun  barrel  and  poked  it  into  the  open 
mouth  of  the  wildcat.  With  a  gurgle  of  pain 
the  beast  fell  back,  but  quickly  gathered  itself  for 
another  leap. 

"  Back !  "  shouted  John  Barrow.  "  Back,  and 
let  me  git  a  shot  at  the  critter !  " 

Dick  was  perfectly  willing  to  retreat,  and 
started  to  do  so.  But  the  wildcat  was  too  quick 
for  him,  and  in  a  twinkle  youth  and  beast  were 
down  on  the  ground  together,  and  the  wildcat  was 
trying  to  reach  the  boy's  throat  with  its  crueJ 
fangs ! 


CHAPTER  XX. 

BEAR    POND    AT    LAST. 

IT  was  indeed  a  moment  of  supreme  peril,  and 
Dick  felt  very  much  as  if  his  last  moment  on  earth 
had  come.  He  put  out  his  hands  mechanically 
and  grabbed  the  wildcat  by  the  throat,  but  his 
grip  was  poor  and  the  beast  shook  itself  clear  with 
ease. 

It  was  now  that  John  Barrow  showed  himself 
to  be  a  master  of  quick  resources.  To  fire  his 
rifle  at  the  wildcat  would  have  meant  taking  the 
risk  of  hitting  Dick,  and  this  the  guide  thought 
too  perilous.  Leaping  to  the  fire,  he  caught  up  a 
long,  burning  brand  and  rushed  at  the  beast  with 
this. 

To  have  a  part  of  the  fire  thrust  directly  into  its 
eyes  was  more  than  the  beast  had  bargained  for, 
and  as  soon  as  it  felt  the  flame  it  gave  a  cry  of 
alarm  and  fell'l  back.  As  it  did  this  Dick  leaped 
to  his  feet  and  sprang  several  feet  away. 

John  Barrow  was  now  free  to  shoot,  and  hurl 
ing  the  firebrand  at  the  wildcat,  he  caught  up  his 
rifle  and  blazed  away  in  short  order.  The  wild 
cat  had  turned  to  retreat,  but  the  guide  was  too 


BEAR  POND  AT  LAST.  155 

quick  for  it,  and  down  went  the  beast  with  a  shot 
through  its  head.  It  gave  a  shudder  or  two,  and 
then  stretched  out,  dead. 

"  Is  he — he  dead?  "  panted  Dick,  when  he  felt 
able  to  speak. 

"  Reckon  so,"  responded  John  Barrow.  "  But 
I'll  make  sure."  And  catching  up  a  club,  he 
aimed  a  blow  which  crushed  the  animal's  skull. 

"  That  was  a  narrow  escape,"  went  on  Dick. 
"  If  you  hadn't  come  to  my  aid,  I'm  afraid  he 
would  have  done  me  up."  And  he  shivered  from 
head  to  foot. 

"  You  want  to  be  careful  how  you  attack  wild 
cats  around  here,  lad.  It  aint  likely  they'll  tech 
you,  if  you  don't  tech  them.  But  if  you  do,  why, 
look  out,  that's  all." 

"  Do  you  think  he  would  have  sneaked  off  with 
the  turkey  ?  I  was  thinking  first  he  would  attack 
you." 

"  Reckon  he  was  after  the  game,  and  nuthin' 
more,  Dick.  He  must  have  been  powerful  hun 
gry,  or  he  wouldn't  have  come  so  close  to  us. 
He's  a  putty  big  fellow,"  went  on  the  guide,  as  he! 
dragged  the  carcass  closer  to  the  firelight. 

The  fire  was  burning  low,  and  Dick  lost  no 
time  in  heaping  on  some  of  the  newly  cut  brush 
wood,  and  then  he  reloaded  and  the  guide  did  the 
same. 

"  Might  have  a  mate  around,"  suggested  John 


156      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Barrow.  "  We  had  better  keep  our  eyes  peeled, 
or  we  may  be  surprised.  Wonder  what  time 
it  is?" 

By  consulting  a  watch  they  found  it  was  just 
midnight.  After  the  excitement  Dick  felt  quite 
sleepy,  and  inside  of  half  an  hour  he  followed  the 
guide's  advice  and  laid  down  to  rest — not  under 
the  tree,  however,  but  as  close  to  the  camp-fire  as 
safety  permitted. 

Dick  had  requested  John  Barrow  to  call  him  in 
three  hours,  so  that  the  guide  might  get  a  little 
more  sleep,  but  the  youth  was  allowed  to  slumber 
until  he  aroused  of  his  own  accord,  just  as  day 
was  breaking. 

"  Hullo,  I've  slept  all  night !  "  he  exclaimed, 
leaping  up  with  something  of  a  hurt  look.  "  Why 
didn't  you  call  me?  " 

"  I  thought  as  how  you  needed  the  rest/'  was 
the  answer  from  the  guide. 

"  Aren't  you  sleepy?  " 

"  Not  very.  A  sleep  early  in  the  night  gener 
ally  does  me  more  good  nor  hours  o'  it  later  on." 

"  You  haven't  seen  or  heard  anything  of  Tom 
or  Sam?" 

"  Nary  sight  or  sound,  lad.  It's  too  bad,  but 
idon't  worry  too  much." 

"  They  couldn't  have  seen  the  firelight,"  re 
turned  Dick,  with  a  sorry  shake  of  his  head.  "  It 
beats  all  where  they  went  to,  doesn't  it  ?  " 


BEAR  POND  AT  LAST.  157 

"  I've  been  a-thinking  that  maybe  they  went 
on  ahead,  Dick." 

"  Ahead?     That  they  somehow  passed  us?  " 

'"'  Yes;  while  we  were  lookin'  for  'em.  They 
may  be  up  at  B'ar  Pond  now,  waitin'  for  us." 

"  Do  you  advise  going  up  there?  " 

"  We  might  as  well.  We  can  put  up  a  post 
here,  with  a  message  for  'em — in  case  they  do 
come  this  way." 

"  That's  an  idea,  and  we  can  put  up  other  posts, 
too.  Then,  if  they  strike  our  trail,  they'll  be  sure 
to  go  straight  in  following  us."  And  Dick's  face 
brightened  a  bit. 

John  Barrow  was  already  preparing  breakfast,, 
and  he  agreed  with  Dick  to  leave  some  cooked 
meat  in  a  clothutied  to  the  top  of  the  pole  the  youth 
erected  not  far  from  the  fire.  On  the  cloth 
they  pinned  a  note,  telling  of  the  direction  to  Bear 
Pond,  and  asking  Tom  and  Sam  to  follow  and  fire: 
two  shots,  a  minute  apart,  as  a  signal. 

It  was  a  clear  day  and  the  sun,  shining  over  the 
mountain  tops,  made  the  snow  and  ice  glitter  like 
pearls  and  diamonds.  There  was  no  wind,  so  the 
journey  toward  Bear  Pond  was  far  from  un 
pleasant.  They  moved  slowly,  dragging  the  sled 
behind  them,  and  searching  to  the  right  and  the 
left  for  some  trace  of  the  missing  Rovers. 

"  I  don't  believe  they  came  up  here,"  said  Diclc,; 
after  half  the  distance  to  the  pond  had  been 


158      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

covered.  "  I  don't  see  the  least  trace  of  any 
human  being,  although  I've  seen  the  footprints  of 
several  wild  animals." 

"  The  wind  might  have  covered  the  tracks  dur 
ing  the  night,"  was  John  Barrow's  hopeful 
response. 

"  I'd  rather  lose  the  treasure,  even  if  it  is  worth 
thousands,  than  have  anything  happen  to  Sam 
and  Tom." 

Just  before  noon  they  came  to  a  point  in  the 
river  where  it  divided  into  several  branches. 

"  We'll  stop  here  and  put  up  another  sign  pole," 
said  the  guide.  "  Remember  what  I  said  ?  All 
these  streams  run  into  the  pond  and  into  Perch 
River.  Now,  which  one  you  want,  at  tudder 
end,  I  don't  know." 

"  Which  is  the  largest  branch?  " 

"  Can't  say,  exactly.  This  one  an'  the  one 
yonder  are  about  the  same  size,  and  that  one  aint 
much  smaller." 

"  Well,  which  do  you  suppose  was  the  largest 
years  ago?  " 

"  Can't  say  that  neither,  although  that  one  yon 
der  might  have  been,  by  the  looks  o'  the  banks," 

"  Then  let  us  start  on  that  one.  And  if  that 
fails  us,  we  can  then  try  the  others." 

They  skated  to  the  stream  in  question  and 
erected  a  pole  in  the  middle  of  the  ice,  upon  which 
a  second  note  was  posted.  Having  gone  to  the 


BEAR  POND  AT  LAST.  159 

trouble  of  chopping  a  hole  for  the  pole,  John  Bar 
row  suggested  they  might  try  their  hand  at 
fishing. 

"  Might  as  well  stay  here  a  while,"  he  said. 
*'  If  they  are  behind  us,  they  may  catch  up." 

Dick  was  willing,  and  soon  a  line  was  baited 
and  let  down  into  the  hole.  It  was  in  the  water 
only  a  few  seconds  when  the  guide  felt  a  bite  and 
drew  up  a  fine  fish,  weighing  at  least  half  a  pound. 

Dick  was  anxious  to  try  it,  and  took  the  line 
from  John  Barrow's  hands.  He  was  equally 
successful,  and  in  a  short  while  they  had  seven 
fish  to  their  credit,  weighing  from  a  quarter  to 
three-quarters  of  a  pound  apiece. 

"  I'm  going  to  tie  a  fish  to  the  top  of  the  pole," 
said  Dick.  "  They  may  be  hungry  when  they  get 
here,  especially  if  they  miss  the  pole  at  our  last 
camping  place." 

"  They  won't  want  to  eat  raw  fish,  lad." 

"  No,  and  I'm  going  to  put  a  few  matches  in  a 
paper  and  tie  it  to  the  fish,  so  they  can  cook  it,  if 
they  wish." 

Dick's  idea  was  followed  out,  and  once  more 
they  went  on,  up  a  narrow  stream  which  had 
many  a  turn  among  the  cedar  brakes  and  hemlocks 
which  lined  either  side.  Rocks  were  likewise 
numerous,  and  the  lad  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
locating  the  treasure  was  going  to  be  no  easy 
task. 


t6o      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

11  It's  rather  desolate,"  he  remarked.  "  I  won 
der  what  ever  possessed  that  old  Goupert  to  come 
here?" 

"  It's  hot  so  desolate  in  the  summer  time,  Dick. 
But  I  reckon  Goupert  was  a  mighty  odd  stick,  as 
,it  was." 

At  last  they  rounded  a  turn  in  the  stream  and 
came  in  sight  of  Bear  Pond,  a  long  and  wide 
stretch  of  water  located  in  the  very  midst  of  two 
tall  mountains.  The  pond  was  covered  with  thick 
ice,  and  the  snow  lay  upon  it  in  long  drifts  and 
ridges.  The  ice  was  blackish  and  almost  as  hard 
as  flint. 

"  We  may  as  well  go  into  camp  near  the  mouth 
of  this  stream,"  said  Dick.  "  For  from  this  spot 
we'll  make  our  first  hunt  for  the  treasure." 

"  I  hope  with  all  my  heart  that  you  find  it,  lad. 
But  if  you  don't,  don't  be  too  disappointed." 

"  I  want  to  find  Sam  and  Tom  first.  I  shan't 
hunt  for  the  treasure  until  I  know  of  them." 

"  That's  right.  We'll  go  on  a  hunt  this  after 
noon,  jest  as  soon  as  we've  had  some  of  these  fish 
broiled  for  dinner." 

If  there  was  one  thing  which  John  Barrow 
could  do  to  perfection,  it  was  to  broil  fish,  and 
the  meal  he  set  before  Dick  half  an  hour  later  was 
so  appetizing  the  lad  could  not  help  enjoy  it,  in 
spite  of  his  anxiety  over  his  brothers'  prolonged 
absence.  The  fish  was  as  sweet  as  a  nut,  and  both 


BEAR  POND  AT  LAST.  161 

lingered  some  time  over  the  meal,  until  all  that 
had  been  broiled  were  gone. 

"  And  now  to  find  Tom  and  Sam,"  said  Dick, 
at  last,  as  he  leaped  up  from  the  log  upon  which  he 
had  been  sitting.  "  What  shall  we  do  with  our 
things?" 

"  Here  is  a  hole  in  the  rocks,"  answered  the 
guide.  "  We'll  hide  them  there  and  cover  them 
with  stones.  I  don't  think  anything  will  disturb 
the  things  between  now  and  nightfall." 

The  stores  were  placed  in  the  cache  and  care 
fully  covered,  so  that  the  wild  animals  might  not 
get  at  them,  and  then  they  saw  to  it  that  their 
firearms  were  ready  for  use.  A  minute  later 
they  were  off,  on  the  hunt  for  Tom  and  Sam. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A   PAIR   OF    PRISONERS. 

IT  is  high  time  that  we  return  to  Tom  and  Sam, 
and  learn  how  the  two  Rover  boys  were  faring 
in  their  unequal  contest  with  Dan  Baxter  and  his 
followers. 

As  we  know,  it  was  Baxter  himself  who 
attacked  Sam,  while  big  Bill  Harney  threw  Tom 
to  the  ground.  Jasper  Grinder  went  to  Baxter's 
assistance,  while  Lemuel  Husty  ran  to  aid 
Harney. 

"  Let  go  of  him ! "  cried  Sam,  and  managed  to 
hit  Baxter  a  glancing  blow  on  the  cheek. 

"  I'll  not  let  go  yet,"  answered  Baxter,  and  bore 
the  youngest  Rover  to  the  earth.  Over  and  over 
they  rolled  in  the  snow,  until  Grinder  caught  Sam' 
by  the  legs  and  held  him  still. 

"That's  right,  Grinder,  hold  him!"  panted 
Dan  Baxter.  "  Don't  let  him  get  up !  " 

But  Sam  was  not  yet  subdued,  and  getting  one 
foot  clear  at  last,  he  kicked  Jasper  Grinder  in  the 
ear. 

"  Oh !  oh !   my  ear !  "   screamed  the   former 
163 


A   PAIR  OF  PRISONERS.  163 

teacher.  "  He  has  kicked  my  ear  off.  You 
scamp,  take  that ! "  And  letting  out  with  his 
foot,  he  gave  Sam  a  vigorous  kick  on  the  side.  At 
the  same  time  Baxter  struck  the  boy  in  the  head 
with  a  stick  he  had  been  carrying,  and  then  Sam 
suddenly  lost  consciousness. 

In  the  meantime  Tom  was  having  a  similar 
struggle  with  Harney  and  Husty.  But  the  boy, 
though  strong,  was  no  match  for  the  two  men, 
and  they  soon  pinned  him  to  the  ground  and  held 
him  there  as  in  a  vise,  while  he  was  nearly  choked 
by  the  big  guide,  who  had  clutched  him  by  the 
throat. 

"  Let — let  go — my — throat !  "  Tom  managed 
to  gasp. 

"  Will  you  keep  quiet?  "  demanded  Harney. 

"  Yes— yes." 

"  All  right,  mind  you  do."  And  then  the  guide 
released  his  hold,  but  continued  to  sit  as  he  was, 
astride  of  poor  Tom's  chest. 

"  Have  you  got  him?  "  came  from  Dan  Baxter. 

"  Yes,"  returned  the  big  guide. 

"  All  right;  then  hold  him," 

"  I  will." 

Leaving  Sam  to  be  watched  by  Jasper  Grinder, 
Baxter  ran  over  to  one  of  the  sleds  and  procured 
a  long  rope. 

"  Now  then,  Tom  Rover,  get  up,"  he  said 
sourly. 


164      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Tom  was  glad  to  arise. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  me?"  lie 
questioned. 

"  You'll  see  fast  enough." 

"  Going  to  try  your  old  tricks  of  making  me  a 
prisoner,  I  suppose." 

"  You're  a  prisoner  already." 

"  Thank  you,  for  nothing,"  returned  Tom,  as 
coolly  as  he  could. 

"  Don't  you  get  impudent,  Tom  Rover.  If  you 
try  it  on,  you'll  get  more  than  you  bargain  for, 
let  me  tell  you  that." 

"  You  always  were  a  first-class  bully,  Baxter. 
You  like  to  tackle  little  boys,  or  else  somebody 
who  is  helpless." 

"  Shut  up !  I  won't  listen  to  you,  now !  "  roared 
Baxter,  and  grabbing  Tom's  hands  he  forced 
them  back  and  bound  them  together.  Then  the 
ropt  was  passed  around  Tom's  waist,  so  that  he 
could  not  move  his  hands  to  the  front. 

By  the  time  this  work  was  accomplished  Sara 
was  regaining  consciousness.  He  gave  a  moan 
of  pain,  and  then  sat  up  in  bewilderment. 

"  Who — what's  happened  ?  "  he  stammered. 
Then  he  looked  around.  "  Oh !  I  remember 
now ! " 

He  was  very  unsteady  when  he  got  on  his  feet, 
and  it  was  Tom  who  made  the  first  move  toward 
him. 


A  PAIR  OF  PRISONERS.  165 

Too  bad,  Sam.     They  are  a  set  of  brutes." 

"  Don't  call  me  a  brute,  Rover,"  growled  Jas 
per  Grinder.  "  Neither  you  nor  your  brother 
have  all  you  deserve." 

Sam  was  bound  with  a  rope,  and  then  both 
prisoners  were  told  to  walk  over  to  the  fire.  This 
they  did,  and  were  left  in  charge  of  Husty  and  Jas 
per  Grinder,  while  Baxter  went  off  a  distance,  in 
company  with  big  Bill  Har.ney. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  want  to  do  with  'em  ?  " 
demanded  Harney,  when  he  and  the  bully  were 
out  of  hearing  of  the  others.  "  'Pears  to  me 
you've  taken  the  law  in  yer  own  hands." 

"  I'm  glad  I've  caught  them,"  returned  Dan 
Baxter.  "  They  may  help  us  to  find  what  I  am 
after." 

"  Think  they've  got  a  better  map  nor  yours  ?  " 

"  They  may  have." 

"  Supposing  that  brother  comes  up,  with  John 
Barrow  ?  They  may  make  it  hot  for  us." 

"  That's  what  I  want  to  ask  you  about,  Harney. 
Isn't  there  some  place  around  here  where  we 
might  hide  the  prisoners?  A  cave,  or  something 
like  that?" 

The  big  guide  scratched  his  chin  thoughtfully. 

"  There's  a  tolerable  place  about  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  here — the  old  B'ars'  Hole,  we  use  ter 
call  it." 

"  Of  course  we  don't  want  to  run  up  against 


166      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

any  bears,"  said  Baxter,  with  a  show  of  nervous* 
ness. 

At  this  the  big  guide  let  out  a  rough  laugh. 

"  Aint  got  no  use  fer  them  critters,  eh?  " 

"  I  have  not." 

"  'Taint  likely  there  are  any  b'ars  around.     foe < 
an'  Jim  Wister  cleaned  out  the  hole  last  spring — 
got  three  on  'em.     No  new  b'ars  will  take  that 
hole  yet  awhile." 

"  Then  we  had  better  make  tracks  for  it  at  once 
— before  Dick  Rover  and  the  man  who  is  with 
him  get  on  our  trail." 

They  walked  back  to  the  camp-fire  and,  calling 
Jasper  Grinder  and  Lemuel  Husty  aside,  Baxter 
explained  the  situation.  A  talk,  lasting  several 
minutes,  followed. 

"  Now  then,  you  come  with  us,"  said  Dan  Bax 
ter  to  the  Rovers.  "  And  see  to  it  that  you  don't 
try  to  get  away." 

"  Where  do  you  want  us  to  go  ?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  We  are  going  to  try  to  find  your  brother," 
was  the  bully's  smooth  reply. 

"  Humph !     Do  you  expect  us  to  believe  that  ?  " 

"  You  can  suit  yourself,  Tom  Rover.  But,  just 
the  same,  you'll  come  along." 

"  And  if  we  refuse?  "  put  in  Sam. 

"  I'll  hammer  you  into  submission." 

"By  jinks!  but  you  always  were  a  cheerful 
brute,  Baxter,"  cried  Sam. 


A  PAIR  OF  PRISONERS.  167 

"  Shut  up  and  come  along,"  growled  the  bully. 

Feeling  it  would  be  folly  to  resist,  the  two 
Rovers  moved  off  with  the  party.  The  big  guide 
led  the  way  and  the  others  followed. 

"  You  may  as  well  earn  your  salt,"  observed 
Baxter.  "  Here,  take  hold  and  pull  one  of  the 
sleds." 

He  placed  the  rope  in  their  hands  and  com 
pelled  them  to  haul  the  load,  which  they  did  un 
willingly  enough. 

Curious  as  it  may  seem,  none  of  the  Baxter 
party  had  given  a  thought  to  the  sled  which  Sam 
and  Tom  had  had  with  them,  and  this  had  been 
left  under  the  bushes  at  the  spot  where  Husty  had 
discovered  the  Rovers. 

At  first  Tom  and  Sam  had  thought  to  speak 
about  the  matter,  but  they  finally  decided  it  would 
be  better  to  run  the  risk  of  losing  that  portion  of 
the  outfit  entirely  than  to  place  it  in  the  hands  of 
their  enemy. 

The  way  was  rough,  and  it  was  only  with  the 
greatest  of  difficulty  that  they  could  drag  the  sleds 
along.  But  less  than  half  an  hour  brought  them 
to  the  spot  which  Bill  Harney  had  in  mind — a 
grand  and  wild  place,  where  the  mountain  ap 
peared  to  split  in  two  for  a  distance  of  several 
hundred  feet.  Here  there  was  a  gorge  fifty  or 
sixty  feet  deep,  partly  choked  with  small  scrub 
cedars. 


"There's  the  hole,"  said  Harney,  advancing 
into  the  gorge  and  pointing  with  his  hand. 

"  Better  go  ahead  and  see  if  it  is  free  of  bears 
or  other  wild  animals,"  suggested  Dan  Baxter, 
as  he  came  to  a  halt. 

Rifle  in  hand  the  guide  went  into  the  opening, 
and  made  a  thorough  examination  of  the  sur 
roundings. 

"  Aint  been  no  b'ars  nor  hothin'  else  here,"  he 
declared.  "  You  can  come  right  in." 

The  opening  on  one  side  of  the  gully  was  an 
irregular  one,  and  beyond  this  was  a  large  cave 
having  several  chambers.  All  was  pitch  dark  in 
the  inner  chambers,  and  they  lit  some  brushwood 
to  give  them  light.  Then  a  regular  fire  was 
started,  which  did  much  toward  making  the  sur 
roundings  warmer  and  more  cheerful. 

Dan  Baxter  and  his  friends  were  hungry,  and 
lost  no  time  in  preparing  a  meal.  Tom  and  Sam 
were  led  to  one  side  of  an  inner  chamber,  and  the 
rope  fastened  to  their  hands  was  bound  tightly  to 
the  protruding  roots  of  a  tree. 

"  Now,  don't  you  attempt  to  escape,"  said  Bax 
ter.  "  If  you  do — well,  you'll  wish  you  hadn't, 
that's  all." 

And  then  he  rejoined  his  companions  in  the 
outer  chamber,  leaving  poor  Tom  and  Sam  to 
their  misery. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

JASPER    GRINDER    TRIES    TO    MAKE    TERMS. 

"  WELL,  Tom,  this  looks  as  if  we  had  put  our 
foot  into  it,"  was  Sam's  comment,  delivered  in  a 
whisper. 

"  Don't  despair,  Sam,"  said  his  brother  cheer 
fully.  "  We  have  been  in  worse  holes,  remember, 
and  always  managed  to  escape  with  a  whole 
skin." 

"  That's  true,  but  I  don't  see  how  we  are  going 
to  get  away  now.  I  suppose  somebody  will  stand 
on  guard  all  the  time." 

"  Perhaps  Dick  and  Mr.  Barrow  will  come  to 
the  rescue." 

"If  they  can  find  the  way.  The  wind  and 
snow  will  cover  the  trail  pretty  well." 

"  There's  no  use  of  crying  over  the  affair.  If 
we  can  break  away,  I'll  be  for  doing  so." 

"  So  will  I." 

"  Hi,  you  stop  your  talking  in  there !  "  shouted 
Dan  Baxter.  "  Plotting  to  run  away,  I  reckon. 
It  won't  do  you  any  good.  If  you  try  it,  some 
body  will  get  a  dose  of  buckshot  in  the  leg." 

169 


170      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  you're  going  to  stop! 
our  talking,"  said  Tom,  in  indignation. 

"  That's  just  what  I  do  mean  to  say.  Now 
stop — or  go  hungry." 

As  the  Rovers  did  not  wish  to  starve,  they  re 
lapsed  into  silence.  A  meal  was  being  prepared 
by  the  Baxter  party,  and  the  appetizing  odors 
floated  into  the  inner  chamber,  where  Tom  and 
Sam  sniffed  them  eagerly,  for  the  walk  and  the 
bracing  air  had  given  them  an  appetite. 

"  Smells  good,  don't  it  ?  "  remarked  Dan  Bax 
ter,  as  he  came  in,  fire-brand  in  hand,  and  con 
fronted  Tom. 

"What,  the  cave?"  asked  Tom  carelessly. 

"  No,  the  grub." 

"  Oh,  you  are  cooking  something,  aren't  you?  " 

"  You  know  well  enough  that  we  are." 

"  Well,  I  can't  stop  you,  Baxter,  so  cook  away." 

"  Don't  you  want  something  to  eat?  " 

"  To  be  sure  we  do,"  put  in  Sam.  "  Nobody 
wants  to  go  hungry." 

"  Perhaps  you'll  have  to  go  hungry,"  said  Dan 
Baxter  significantly. 

"  It  would  be  just  like  you  to  starve  us,  Bax 
ter  !  "  burst  out  Tom.  "  I  know  you  are  as  mean 
as  they  make  them." 

"  No  compliments,  please.  I  know  my  busi 
ness,  Tom  Rover;  and  let  me  say  I  am  in  this 
game  to  win." 


GRINDER   TRIES   TO  MAKE   TERMS.       171 

"  I  don't  see  what  that  has  to  do  with  our 
eating." 

"  You  will  see  presently.  I  know  all  about 
what  brought  you  here." 

"  And  we  know  what  brought  you  here,"  put 
in  Sam. 

"  I  suppose  you  fellows  have  a  map,  or  some 
thing  like  it,"  went  on  Baxter,  after  a  pause,  dur 
ing  which  he  gazed  curiously  first  at  Tom  and 
then  at  the  youngest  Rover. 

"  A  map  of  what?  "  demanded  Tom. 

"  A  map  whereby  to  find  that  treasure." 

"  If  we  have  a  map  we'll  take  good  care  to  keep 
it  to  ourselves,"  came  from  Sam,  before  he  had 
taken  time  to  think  twice. 

"  Ha !  then  you  have  a  map !  "  And  now  Dan 
Baxter's  eyes  brightened.  "Where  is  it?" 

"  I  didn't  say  so." 

"  I'll  <  earch  you,"  said  the  bully,  and  at  once 
proceeded  to  turn  out  one  pocket  after  another. 
Of  course  the  map,  being  in  Dick's  possession, 
was  not  found. 

"  You  got  it  hidden,"  said  Baxter  sourly. 
"  Tell  we  where  it  is,  or  you  shall  have  nothing 
to  eat." 

"  Will  you  give  us  a  good  meal  if  we  do  tell 
you  ?  "  demanded  Tom  promptly. 

"  Yes." 

"Honor  bright?" 


172      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  Yes." 

"Well, then,  Dick  has  the  onty  map  we  possess."' 
And  Tom  grinned,  while  Sam  had  all  he  could  do 
to  keep  from  laughing  outright.  , 

Instantly  Dan  Baxter's  face  grew  dark,  and  he 
,  drew  back  his  hand  as  if  to  strike  Tom. 

"  You're  a  fresh  one !  "  he  burst  out  "  Are 
you  telling  me  the  truth  ?  " 

"  I  am.  He  has  the  map,  and  I  reckon  he'll 
keep  it.  Now,  if  it's  all  the  same  to  you,  we'll 
take  that  meal.  Eh,  Sam?  " 

"  I'm  hungry  enough." 

"  I  shan't  give  you  a  mouthful !  "  roared  Bax 
ter.  "  You  can't  play  any  game  on  me." 

"  That  shows  what  your  promise  is  worth,  Bax 
ter,"  returned  Tom.  "  I  didn't  expect  much  else, 
though,  for  I  know  you  thoroughly.  Still,  we 
told  you  nothing  but  the  truth." 

With  a  face  full  of  hatred  Dan  Baxter  turned 
on  his  heel  and  left  them.  Presently  they  heard 
him  sit  down  with  the  others,  and  all  began  to 
eat  the  food  that  had  been  cooking. 

"  I  must  say  we  didn't  gain  much,"  observed 
Tom  gloomily.  "  I  suppose  I  ought  to  have 
humored  him,  in  order  to  get  something.  But 
I  despise  him  so  I  can't  help  pitching  into  him." 

"  I  wouldn't  humor  him — I'd  starve  first !  "  re 
turned  Sam  earnestly.  "  I  am  glad  we  weren't 
carrying  the  map." 


GRINDER   TRIES   TO  MAKE   TERMS.       173 

"  So  am  I  glad.  Rather  than  give  it  to  him, 
I  would  have  chewed  it  up  and  swallowed  it." 

Half  an  hour  went  by,  during  which  both  boys 
said  but  little,  each  being  busy  trying  to  concoct 
some  scheme  by  which  they  might  escape.  They 
heard  the  others  talking  in  low  voices,  but  were 
unable  to  catch  what  was  said. 

Presently  Jasper  Grinder  came  in,  bringing 
with  him  a  small  portion  of  food  and  a  kettle  of 
water.  Setting  the  things  on  a  rock,  he  untied 
one  hand  of  each  of  the  boys,  that  they  might 
eat  and  drink. 

"  This  is  a  fine  meal,"  said  Tom  sarcastically. 

"  It  is  more  than  you  deserve,"  replied  the 
former  teacher  of  Putnam  Hall. 

"  You  always  were  a  hard  one,  Grinder." 

"  Mr.  Grinder,  if  you  please,"  said  the  man 
pointedly. 

"  And  if  I  don't  please  to  call  you  Mister?  " 

"  Then  you  will  get  nothing  more  from  me." 

"  Do  you  know  that  you  are  playing  a  high 
game  here,  keeping  us  prisoners?  "  asked  Sam. 

"  What  we  are  doing  is  our  business."  Jasper 
Grinder  paused  for  a  moment.  "  I  want  you  to 
tell  me  something  of  that  treasure  for  which  you 
are  seeking,"  he  went  on. 

"  What  do  you  want  to  know?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  What  is  the  treasure  worth?  " 

"  We  can't  tell  that  until  it  is  found." 


174      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

""You  are  quite  sure  it  has  never  been  re* 
moved?  " 

"  How  can  we  be  sure,  when  we  don't  know 
anything  about  it." 

"  Baxter  says  your  brother  Dick  has  a  map." 
!      "Hasn't    Baxter    a   map,    too?"    questioned 
Sam. 

"  Something  of  a  map,  yes,  but  it  is  not  very 
complete." 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  that,"  said  Tom  quickly. 

"  But  Baxter  claims  the  treasure  for  himself." 

"Really?"  said  Sam  sarcastically.  "Well, 
let  him  claim  what  he  pleases.  If  we  find  it,  it 
will  belong  to  us — don't  forget  that." 

Again  there  was  a  pause.  Jasper  Grinder 
looked  anxiously  toward  the  outer  cave,  to  see  if 
Baxter  or  the  guide  were  watching  him.  But 
the  two  were  talking  earnestly  between  them 
selves. 

"  I  have  a  plan,"  began  the  former  teacher  of 
Putnam  Hall,  in  a  low  voice,  "  a  plan  to  aid 
you." 

"  What  plan?  "  demanded  Tom. 

"  Hush !  not  so  loud — or  they  may  hear  you. 
I  presume  you  know  what  sort  of  a  fellow  Bax 
ter  is?" 

"  Well,  rather,"  said  Sam  dryly. 

"  He  is  planning  to  do  you  a  great  deal  of  harm. 
Now  I  think  I  can  save  you." 


GRINDER    TRIES   TO   MAKE    TERMS.       175 

"  Then  save  us,"  said  Tom.  "  Or  untie  us, 
and  we  will  save  ourselves." 

"  You  can't  save  yourselves.  Baxter  is  strong, 
and  that  guide  is  a  giant  in  strength." 

"  What  do  you  propose?  " 

"  I'm  coming  to  that.  But  you  must  make  me 
a  promise  first." 

"What  promise?" 

"  That  half  that  treasure  shall  be  mine  when  it 
is  found." 

"  Half !  "  cried  Tom  and  Sam  together. 

"  Yes." 

"  We  can't  promise  that,"  went  on  Tom. 

"You  don't  want  much,"  was  Sam's  com 
ment. 

"  Isn't  it  worth  something  to  be  saved  from 
Baxter's  clutches?  I  overheard  him  tell  the 
guide  what  troubles  he  had  had  with  you  in  the 
past,  and  how  you  had  been  the  means  of  sending 
his  father  to  prison,  and  all  that.  Why,  he  would 
put  you  out  of  the  way  forever,  if  he  could." 

"  And  will  you  stand  by,  Jasper  Grinder,  and 
see  that  done?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  No !  no !  But — but — he  is  his  own  master. 
Promise  what  I  wish,  and  I  will  help  you." 

"  We  can't  promise  you  half  the  treasure,"  said 
Tom  flatly.  "  But  if  you  will  really  help  us,  we'll 
promise  that  you  shall  lose  nothing  by  the  trans- 
-actioo.* 


176      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

At  this  instant  Dan  Baxter  leaped  to  his  feet 
and  ran  for  his  gun,  while  Bill  Harney  and 
Lemuel  Husty  did  the  same. 

"  Come  out  here,  Grinder !  "  shouted  the  bully. 
"  Somebody  or  some  wild  animal  is  around  1 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE    BLACK  BEAR. 

"  SOMEBODY  is  coming !  "  ejaculated  Sam.  "  I 
hope  it  is  Dick,  with  Mr.  Barrow ! " 

"  So  do  I,"  returned  Tom. 

Without  saying  a  word  more,  Jasper  Grinder 
ran  from  the  inner  cave  and  joined  Baxter  and 
the  guide.  His  face  was  pale,  and  he  was  evi 
dently  much  disturbed. 

Soon  Baxter  and  his  party  were  outside,  and 
the  Rover  boys  heard  them  moving  up  and  down 
the  gully.  Several  minutes  passed,  and  then 
came  a  gunshot,  followed  by  another. 

"  I  hope  they  are  not  firing  on  Dick  or  Mr.  Bar 
row,"  said  Sam,  with  something  of  a  shudder. 

"  I  guess  not,"  returned  his  brother.  "  If  they 
were,  we'd  probably  hear  shots  in  return." 

An  hour  went  by,  and  then  Dan  Baxter  and  the  \ 
others  came  back,  the  guide  carrying  several  rab 
bits  and  a  large  fox.     The  rabbits  were  skinned 
and  kept  for  eating,  and  the  fox  was  skinned  and 
the  carcass  thrown  away. 

Torn  and  Sam  had  expected  Jasper  Grinder  to 

777 


i;8      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

return  to  them,  but  if  the  former  teacher  desired 
to  do  this,  he  was  prevented  by  Dan  Baxter,  who 
kept  his  companions  close  by  him,  around  the! 
fire. 

Slowly  the  time  went  by  until  darkness  was 
upon  them.  The  fire  was  kept  up,  but  Baxter 
screened  it  as  much  as  possible,  so  that  the  glare 
might  not  penetrate  to  the  forest  beyond  the  gully 
and  prove  a  beacon  to  guide  Dick  and  John  Bar 
row  to  the  spot. 

The  boys  were  tired  out,  and  soon  Sam  sank  to 
sleep,  with  his  hands  still  tied  to  the  tree  roots. 
Tom  tried  to  keep  awake,  but  half  an  hour  later 
he,  too,  was  in  dreamland. 

When  the  Rovers  awoke  it  was  not  yet  morn 
ing.  All  was  dark  around  them,  for  the  fire  had 
burnt  low.  Sam  roused  up  first,  with  a  severe 
pain  in  his  wrists  and  ankles,  where  his  bonds 
were  cutting  him. 

"  Oh,  my  wrists !  "  he  groaned,  and  his  voice 
caused  Tom  to  start. 

"Is that  you,  Sam?" 

"  Yes.     My  wrists  are  almost  cut  in  two ! " 

"  The  same  here.     I've  slept  like  a  rock,  too." 

"  Is  it  morning  yet?  " 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know." 

"  What's  going  on  in  there?  "  came  from  Dan 
Baxter,  as  he  leaped  to  his  feet  and  caught  up  a 
gun. 


THE  BLACK  BEAR. 

"We  are  suffering  from  cuts  of  the  ropes," 
said  Tom.  "  It  was  an  outrage  to  compel  us  to 
sleep  in  this  fashion,  tied  up  like  mummies !  " 

"Oh,  shut  up!"  growled  Baxter,  and  then 
began  to  poke  the  fire.  Soon  it  was  blazing  as 
readily  as  before,  and  then  the  light  found  its  way 
into  the  inner  cave,  so  that  Sam  and  Tom  could 
see  each  other  once  more. 

Breakfast  for  the  two  prisoners  was  a  slim 
affair  of  crackers,  rabbits'  bones,  and  water.  Tom 
asked  for  coffee,  but  Baxter  would  not  give  it  to 
them. 

"  You'll  get  no  luxuries  from  me,"  growled  the 
bully.  "  Be  thankful  that  you  aren't  being 
starved." 

While  they  were  eating,  Baxter  and  his  com* 
panions  held  a  low,  but  animated,  conversation. 
"  We'll  try  it,  anyway,"  Tom  heard  Baxter  say, 
and  that  was  all  the  Rovers  heard.  As  soon  as 
the  meal  was  finished  the  party  took  up  some  of 
their  traps  and  their  firearms. 

"  Now,  then,  we  are  going  out  for  a  while,"  said 
Dan  Baxter,  coming  up  to  the  prisoners.  "  Take 
my  advice  and  don't  try  to  escape  in  the  meantime. 
If  you  do,  and  we  catch  you,  it  will  go  hard  with 
you;  let  me  tell  you  that!  " 

"  Are  you  going  to  leave  us  tied  up  ?  "  ques 
tioned  Tom  dubiously. 

"  Certainly." 


i8o      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  Some  wild  animal  may  come  in  here  and  chew 
us  up." 

"  We'll  leave  the  fire  burning — that  will  keep 
'em  away,"  returned  the  bully. 

He  would  say  no  more,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
he  and  his  companions  were  gone  and  the  Rover 
boys  were  left  to  themselves. 

"  Now  what  ?  "  asked  Sam,  after  all  had  been 
silent  for  at  least  ten  minutes. 

"  Don't  ask  me,"  replied  Tom  disconsolately. 
"  We're  in  a  pickle,  and  no  mistake.  Are  your 
hands  as  tight  as  ever?  " 

"  Yes,  and  my  wrists  hurt  so  I  feel  like  scream 
ing  with  pain." 

"  Baxter  is  a  brute,  if  ever  there  was  one. 
However,  I  think  I  can  get  my  left  hand  free," 
went  on  Tom  suddenly. 

"  Good,  Tom !     Do  so  by  all  means." 

Tom  worked  away  with  vigor.  The  pain  was 
intense,  but  he  bore  it  manfully.  At  last  his 
hand  was  free. 

"  Hurrah !  so  far  so  good ! "  he  cried  lowly. 
"  Now  for  the  other  hand." 

But  this  was  not  so  easy,  for  the  knots  were 
hard  ones  and  broke  his  finger  nails  dread 
fully. 

"If  only  I  could  get  at  them  with  my  teeth/' 
he  observed,  "  I'd  soon  chew  them  apart." 

But  he  could  not  bend  around,  and  so  had  to 


THE  BLACK  BEAR.  i8t 

content  himself  with  working  away  as  before. 
Soon  his  fingers  grew  numb  and  he  had  to  desist. 

"  Too  bad,  but  I  can't  make  it !  "  he  groaned. 

"  Wait  a  while  and  give  your  fingers  a  rest," 
returned  Sam. 

He  had  begun  work  on  his  own  fetters,  but  try 
his  best  could  make  no  material  progress.  The 
ropes  had  cut  through  the  skin  in  two  places  and 
from  these  spots  the  blood  was  flowing  freely. 

Two  hours  went  by,  and  to  the  boys  it  seemed 
an  age.  Tom  had  tried  his  best  to  free  himself, 
and  now  the  cords  were  gradually  loosening  up. 

"  I've  got  it  at  last !  "  he  cried  presently.  "  Just 
wait."  And  a  little  later  the  bonds  dropped  to  the 
ground.  But  the  work  had  caused  his  finger  tips 
to  bleed. 

With  his  hands  free,  Tom  set  to  work  free  his 
ieet,  and  this  was  not  so  difficult,  although  it  also 
took  time.  Both  boys  were  now  hungry  once 
mere,  and  reckoned  that  it  was  well  past  the  noon 
hour. 

"'I'll  set  you  free,  and  then  we'll  look  aroun3 
for  something  to  eat,"  said  Tom. 

"  Hadn't  we  better  get  out  as  soon  as  we  can?  M 
asked  his  brother.  "  Remember,  they  may  come 
back  at  any  moment,  and  we  are  no  match  for 
them," 

"  It  will  take  but  a  minute  to  pick  up  some 
thing,  if  it's  around,  Sam.  Besides,  we  have  got 


S8a      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

to  have  something  in  our  stomachs  before  we  set 
off  to  hunt  up  Dick  and  Mr.  Barrow." 

As  soon  as  Sam  was  freed  they  rah  to  the 
outer  cave.  Here,  on  some  tree-roots  overhead, 
hung  a  number  of  traps,  including  a  knapsack  con 
taining  crackers  and  cheese,  and  close  by  it  was 
a  portion  of  rabbit,  left  over  from  the  morning 
repast. 

"  Just  what  we  want !  "  cried  Tom.  "  Now,  if 
We  only  had  a  gun " 

He  broke  off  short,  as  a  crashing  outside 
greeted  their  ears.  The  noise  continued  several 
seconds,  then  ceased  abruptly. 

"  What  do  you  suppose  that  was?  "  questioned 
Sam.  "  It  can't  be  our  enemies  returning." 

"  No,  I  think  it  was  some  wild  animal — per 
haps  a  wildcat." 

Both  looked  around  for  some  weapon  with 
which  to  defend  themselves,  and  Sam  caught  sight 
of  a  double-barreled  shotgun  standing  in  a  corner 
of  the  cave.  He  ran  for  this,  and  as  he  did  so  the 
crashing  outside  was  continued. 

"  I  see  something  under  the  brushwood ! " 
whispered  Tom,  peeping  out.  "  Something  big 
and  black." 

"  It's  a  bear !  "  cried  Sam,  a  minute  later.  "  A 
black  bear !  And  he  is  coming  this  way !  " 

Both  boys  were  astonished  and  bewildered,  fof 
they  had  not  been  looking  for  such  a  big  beast  as 


THE  BLACK  BEAR.  183 

this.  Sam  clutched  the  shotgun  tightly,  while 
Tom  ran  to  the  fire  and  picked  up  the  biggest 
brand  he  could  hold. 

The  bear  advanced  to  the  center  of  the  gully 
and  looked  up  and  down  suspiciously.  Then  he 
sniffed  the  air. 

"  He  smells  the  carcass  of  the  fox  that  lies  out 
side,"  whispered  Tom. 

"  Well,  he  must  smell  us,  too,  Tom.  It's  a 
wonder  he  doesn't  run.  Mr.  Barrow  said  bears 
up  here  were  generally  shy." 

"  I  reckon  he  is  pretty  hungry.  Here  he  conies 
for  the  fox  meat  now." 

Tom  was  right.  The  bear  was  advancing  with 
great  care,  sniffing  the  snow-covered  ground  at 
every  step.  Once  or  twice  he  raised  his  head,  aa 
if  preparing  to  run  at  the  first  sign  of  alarm. 

"  I'd  like  to  bring  him  down ! "  whispered 
Sam. 

"  You  can't  do  it  with  the  shotgun,  Sam.  Be 
quiet!  We  can  be  thankful  if  he  takes  the  fox 
meat  and  leaves  us  alone." 

At  last  the  bear  reached  the  carcass.  The  two 
boys  expected  he  would  snatch  it  up  instantly  and 
run  away,  but  they  were  mistaken.  The  bear 
sniffed  it  from  end  to  end,  and  walked  all 
around  it. 

"  He's  afraid  of  a  trap,  or  something  like  that," 
whispered  Tom.  "  They  are  pretty  cute." 


i84      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

At  last  the  bear  seemed  satisfied,  and  he  took 
the  carcass  up  in  his  mouth  and  started  to  walk 
off  with  it.  But,  instead  of  turning  up  or  down 
the  gully,  he  came  closer  to  the  cave ! 

"  My  gracious,  he's  coming  this  way ! "  cried 
Sam.  "  Look  out,  Tom !  " 

His  voice  was  so  loud  that  the  black  bear  heard 
it  plainly.  The  beast  immediately  dropped  the 
fox  meat  and  stood  up  on  his  hind  legs.  Then  he 
gave  a  roar  of  disappointment;  thinking,  probably, 
that  the  boys  had  set  a  bait  to  catch  him. 

"  He  don't  like  the  situation,"  began  Tom, 
when  he  gave  a  yell  and  clutched  his  brother  by 
the  arm.  And  small  wonder,  for  with  rapid 
strides  the  black  bear  was  making  for  them,  as 
though  to  chew  them  both  up ! 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

TOGETHER    AGAIN. 

IT  must  be  confessed  that  both  Tom  and  Sam 
were  much  alarmed  by  the  forward  move  of  the 
black  bear.  Up  to  this  instant  they  had  trusted 
the  beast  would  depart  with  the  fox's  carcass, 
without  discovering  them.  Now  it  looked  as  if 
they  were  in  for  a  hot  fight,  and  that  without 
delay. 

"  Get  behind  the  fire! "  cried  Tom,  as  soon  as 
he  could  collect  his  thoughts. 

Sam  had  the  shotgun  pointed,  and  as  the  bear 
advanced  he  pulled  the  trigger.  The  charge  of 
shot  entered  the  bear's  left  shoulder,  making  a 
number  of  painful,  but  not  dangerous,  wounds. 
At  once  the  beast  let  out  a  snort  of  commingled 
pain  and  rage. 

"  You've  done  it  'now,"  came  from  Tom,  and 
whirled  his  firebrand,  to  make  it  blaze  up.  tf\Take 
a  stick,  quick !  " 

Instead  of  doing  this,  however,  Sam  fired  a 
second  time,  this  time  hitting  the  bear  in  the  left 
hind  leg.  The  beast  dropped  on  all  fours  and 
came  to  a  halt,  while  yet  twenty  yards  from  them. 

185 


186      ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

By  this  time  Tom  had  another  firebrand,  and 
this  he  compelled  his  brother  to  take,  the  shotgun 
being  now  empty.  There  was  no  time  to  reload 
the  piece,  and  indeed,  neither  of  the  boys  knew 
Where  to  look  for  ammunition. 

More  enraged  than  ever,  the  bear  now  advanced 
again,  until  only  the  fire  was  between  him  and  his 
intended  victims.  He  had  now  forgotten  about 
the  fox  meat,  and  thought  only  of  getting  at  the 
human  being  who  had  injured  him.  He  arose 
once  more  and  let  out  a  loud  roar,  while  his  small 
eyes  gleamed  maliciously.  Had  the  fire  not  been 
in  the  way  he  would  have  rushed  upon  Sam  with 
out  further  hesitation. 

The  pulling  out  of  the  two  large  firebrands  was 
causing  the  fire  to  burn  low,  something  which  was 
in  the  bear's  favor.  The  boys  almost  expected  to 
see  the  beast  leap  over  the  spot,  but  bruin  knew 
better  than  to  attempt  this.  He  began  to  circle 
around  the  flames,  and  as  he  did  this,  the  boys  did 
likewise. 

"  Shall  we  run  ?  "  panted  Sam.  He  was  so 
agitated  he  could  scarcely  speak. 

"  No— stick  to  the  fire,"  returned  Tom.  "  Bears 
hate  that.  Look  out !  " 

The  bear  had  now  started  to  come  around  the 
other  way.  At  once  the  boys  shifted  again,  until 
they  occupied  the  position  where  they  had  stood 
when  the  beast  was  first  discovered.  Then  the 


TOGETPIER  AGAIN.  187 

bear  dropped  down  once  more  and  eyed|them  in  a 
mediative  way. 

"  He  is  making  up  his  mind  about  the  next 
move,"  said  Tom.  "  I'll  try  him  with  something 
new."  And  at  the  risk  of  burning  his  hand,  he 
picked  up  some  small  brushwood  which  was  blaz 
ing  fiercely  and  threw  it  at  their  enemy. 

The  effect  was  as  surprising  as  it  was  gratify 
ing.  The  burning  brands  struck  the  beast  fairly 
on  the  nose,  causing  him  to  leap  back  in  terror. 
Then  he  uttered  a  grunt  of  dissatisfaction,  turned, 
and  sped,  with  clumsy  swiftness,  up  the  gully  and 
into  the  forest  beyond. 

"  He  is  retreating!  "  cried  Sam  joyfully. 

"  Wait — don't  be  too  sure,"  returned  Tom, 
and,  firebrands  still  in  hand,  they  watched  until 
the  bear  was  out  of  sight  and  they  could  hear 
nothing  more  of  him. 

"  My,  but  aint  I  glad  he's  gone ! "  said  the 
youngest  Rover,  with  a  sigh  of  relief. 

"  So  am  I  glad,  Sam.  I  was  almost  afraid 
both  of  us  were  doomed  to  be  chewed  up." 

"What  shall  we  do  next?" 

"  I  guess  we  had  better  get  out — as  soon  as 
you've  loaded  the  gun.  Wonder  where  the  am 
munition  is?  " 

Both  instituted  a  search,  and  soon  a  box  was 
brought  to  light,  containing  not  only  ammunition, 
but  also  a  big  hunting  knife. 


188       ROVER   BOYS   IN    THE   MOUNTAINS. 

"  I'll  appropriate  the  knife/'  said  Tom.  "  It's 
not  as  good  as  a  gun  or  pistol,  but  it  is  better  than 
nothing." 

Thus  armed  they  set  forth  without  further 
delay,  fearful  that  their  enemies  might  return  at 
any  moment  to  recapture  them.  As  the  bear  had 
gone  up  the  gully  they  went  down,  and  they  did 
not  come  to  a  halt  until  they  had  placed  at  least 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  between  themselves  and  the 
caves.  For  some  distance  they  kept  on  a  series 
of  bare  rocks,  thus  leaving  no  trail  behind. 

"  I  reckon  we  are  clear  of  them  for  the  time 
being,"  observed  Tom,  as  he  came  to  a  halt. 
"  And  that  being  so,  the  next  question  is,  Where 
are  Dick  and  Mr.  Barrow?" 

"  The  best  we  can  do  is  to  try  to  find  Perch 
River,  to  my  way  of  thinking,"  came  from  Sam. 
"  If  we  can  find  that  and  we  stick  to  it,  we'll  be 
sure  to  land  at  Bear  Pond,  sooner  or  later." 

"  It  seems  to  me  Bear  Pond  ought  to  be  close 
at  hand,"  said  Tom.  "  We've  seen  the  bear  any 
way,  if  not  the  pond."  And  at  this  both  Sam 
and  he  gave  a  short  laugh. 

An  hour  later  found  them  tramping  along  the 
<edge  of  a  cliff  overlooking  a  broad  valley,  in  the 
center  of  which  was  a  winding  stream  almost 
hidden  by  the  woods  on  either  side. 

"  Now,  if  we  were  only  sure  that  was  Perch 
River,  we'd  be  all  right,"  said  Sam.  "  Bat  un- 


TOGETHER  AGAIN.  189 

fortunately  all  rivers  look  pretty  much  alike  up 
here." 

"We  might  as  well  go  down  to  it,  anyway," 
answered  his  brother.  "  It's  pretty  cold  up  here." 

Finding  a  break  in  the  cliff  they  descended,  and 
started  through  the  woods  for  the  watercourse. 
It  was  indeed  cold,  and  only  their  brisk  walking 
kept  them  warm.  A  stiff  wind  was  rising,  and 
overhead  the  branches  swayed  mournfully. 

When  they  reached  the  river  they  came  to 
another  halt,  not  knowing  which  was  up  and 
which  was  down. 

"  Guess  we  had  better  chop  a  hole  in  the  ice 
and  see  how  the  water  is  flowing,"  suggested 
Sam. 

"  Let  us  walk  in  this  direction,"  said  Tom.  "  I 
think  this  is  right,  and,  anyway,  we  may  soon 
come  to  an  air-hole,  which  will  save  us  the  trouble 
of  cutting  an  opening." 

As  they  advanced  they  had  kept  a  sharp  look 
out  for  the  Baxter  crowd,  but  so  far  none  of  their 
enemies  had  put  in  an  appearance. 

"  Hurrah !  "  suddenly  shouted  Tom.  "  Here's 
a  signal  of  some  sort!  " 

He  pointed  ahead,  to  where  Dick  and  Johnv 
Barrow  had  planted  their  first  signal  pole.   Both 
made  a  rush  forward,  and  soon  had  the  cooked 
meat  which  had  been  tied  in  a  cloth  and  the  note 
pinned  on  the  outside. 


190       ROVER    BOYS   IN    THE   MOUNTAINS. 

"  A  letter  from  Dick,"  said  Tom,  and  read  it 
.aloud.  "  We  are  on  the  right  track,  Sam,  and 
if  we  only  continue  to  steer  clear  of  Dan  Baxter 
and  his  gang  we'll  be  safe." 

"  Dick  asks  us  to  fire  two  shots,  a  minute  apart, 
as  a  signal,"  came  from  Sam.  "  I'll  do  it  at 
once."  And  without  delay  he  discharged  the 
shotgun,  waited  sixty  seconds,  and  then  dis 
charged  it  again. 

Both  listened  intently,  and  from  a  great  dis 
tance  came  back  two  other  shots,  also  a  minute 
apart.  , 

"  They  heard  the  signal ! "  ejaculated  Sam 
joyfully.  "  It  came  from  up  the  river,  didn't 
it?" 

"  Yes ;  come  on ! " 

Without  stopping  to  eat  the  food  which  had 
been  left  for  them,  the  boys  hurried  forward  just 
as  rapidly  as  their  now  tired  legs  would  carry 
them. 

They  had  brought  their  skates  along  and  these 
were  put  on,  after  which  progress  was  easier.   It 
was  now  growing  dark,  and  they  began  to  won 
der,  if  they  would  be  able  to  rejoin  Dick  and  Mr. 
( Barrow  before  nightfall  . 

"  I  hope  we  meet  them,"  said  Sam.  "  I've  no 
fancy  for  remaining  in  this  open,  alone." 

"  Try  another  two  shots,"  suggested  Tom, 
after  an  hour  had  gone  by,  and  Sam  did  so. 


TOGETHER  AGAIN.  19* 

Immediately  came  answering  reports,  directly  to> 
their  left. 

"  Hullo !  "  yelled  Tom,  at  the  top  of  his  lungs, 
and  Sam  at  once  took  up  the  cry. 

"Hullo!"  came  back  faintly.  "Tom!  Sam! 
Is  that  you?" 

"  Yes.  We  are  on  the  river !  " 

"  All  right ! " 

The  yelling  now  stopped,  and  Tom  and  Sam 
came  to  a  halt  and  sat  down  on  a  flat  rock  to. 
wait.  Ten  minutes  passed,  when  they  saw  Dick 
rush  into  a  clearing,  followed  by  John  Barrow. 
As  soon  as  the  eldest  Rover  saw  them  he  waved 
his  hand  enthusiastically. 

"  Where  in  the  world  have  you  been  ?  "  came 
from  Dick,  as  soon  as  he  reached  them,  and  saw 
that  neither  was  injured.  "  We've  been  looking 
high  and  low  for  you." 

"  We've  been  prisoners  of  the  enemy,"  an 
swered  Tom.  "  By  the  way,  have  you  seen  any 
thing  of  Dan  Baxter  and  his  party?  " 

"  No.  Do  you  mean  to  say  Baxter  made  you 
prisoners?  " 

"He  and  his  crowd  did." 
"How  many  are  there  with  him?" 
"  Three  men,  Bill  Harney  the  guide,  Lemuel 
Husty,  and  Jasper  Grinder." 

"  Jasper  Grinder !  "  burst  out  Dick.  "  Impos 
sible!" 


192       ROVER    BOYS  IN    THE    MOUNTAINS. 

"  It  is  true,  Dick.  I  was  as  much  astonished 
as  you." 

"  I  suppose  Baxter  promised  him  a  share  of  the 
treasure  if  it  was  found." 

"  More  than  likely.  But  I  don't  believe  they'll 
find  the  treasure." 

Tom  and  Sam  soon  told  their  story,  to  which 
Dick  and  John  Barrow  listened  with  keen  interest. 
Hardly,  however,  was  the  tale  finished  than  the 
guide  urged  them  to  move  on. 

"  It's  quite  a  few  miles  to  camp,"  he  said. 
"  And,  unless  I  am  mistaken,  it's  getting  ready 
for  a  big  fall  o'  snow." 

John  Barrow  was  right  about  the  snow.  Less 
than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  later  the  thick  flakes 
began  to  fall.  Then  came  a  finer  snow,  which 
the  wind  blew  around  them  like  so  much  hard 
salt. 

"  We  are  in  for  a  corker !  "  cried  the  guide. 
"  The  sooner  we  git  back  to  our  supplies  the  bet 
ter  it  will  be  for  us ! " 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

SNOWED  IN. 

WITH  the  coming  of  night  the  downfall  of 
snow  increased  until  it  was  impossible  to  see  a 
dozen  feet  in  any  direction.  The  wind  also  in 
creased  in  fury  until  it  blew  a  regular  gale.  At 
first  this  was  in  their  favor,  being  directly  on  their 
backs  and  sending  them  over  the  ice  at  a  furious 
pace,  but  soon  it  shifted,  first  to  the  left  and  then 
to  in  front  of  them,  and  now  further  progress 
appeared  out  of  the  question. 

"  I'm  afraid  we  can't  make  it ! "  gasped  Dick, 
turning  to  catch  his  breath.  "  I'm  almost  winded 
now." 

"  I've  got  to  stop,"  came  from  Sam.  "  I'm 
ready  to  drop." 

"  I  can't  see  a  thing,"  said  Tom.  "  And  I'm  in 
mortal  terror  of  skating  into  some  big  air-hole." 

"  You  are  right,  lads,  we'll  have  to  give  up  the 
idea  of  reaching  camp  to-night,"  came  from  John 
Barrow  seriously.  "  But  where  to  take  you  to 
out  of  this  awful  storm  I  scarcely  know." 

"  Any  kind  of  shelter  will  do,"  said  Sam. 
"  We  can  rig  up  a  hut  under  some  big  cedar  tree." 

193 


194       ROVER   BOYS   IN    THE   MOUNTAINS. 

"  In  that  case,  let  us  stick  as  closely  to  the  river 
as  possible." 

"Why?" 

"  We  can  get  fish  then,  if  we  need  'em." 

No  more  was  said,  and  the  guide  at  once  led 
the  way  to  a  thick  camp  of  cedars  growing  but  a 
rod  away  from  the  edge  of  the  river.  The  cedars 
formed  something  of  a  circle,  about  fifteen  feet 
in  diameter,  and  by  clearing  out  some  brush 
wood  in  the  center  they  made  quite  a  cozy  rest 
ing  place.  On  the  outside  the  cedars  were  laced 
together,  and  the  snow  was  banked  up  on  all 
sides,  leaving  but  one  opening,  two  feet  wide 
and  several  feet  high,  for  the  purpose  of  supply 
ing  them  with  fresh  air. 

By  the  time  the  shelter  was  ready  for  use  all 
the  boys  were  so  fagged  out  they  could  scarcely 
stand.  Dick  and  the  guide  had  brought  blankets 
with  them,  and  one  of  these  was  placed  over  the 
opening  temporarily,  to  keep  out  a  large  part  of 
the  wind.  Then  a  candle  was  lit  and  John  Bar 
row  burnt  up  a  little  brushwood,  "  jest  to  take  the 
chill  outer  the  place,"  as  he  explained.  They  did 
not  dare  to  let  the  flames  grow  too  high  for  fear 
of  setting  fire  to  the  cedars  themselves. 

As  the  boys  lay  on  the  brushwood  resting,  they 
heard  the  wind  outside  increasing  in  violence,  and 
saw  the  cedars  bend  to  and  fro,  and  listened  to 
them  creak  dismally. 


SNOWED  IN.  195 

"  Mr.  Barrow,  how  long  do  you  reckon  this 
storm  will  last?  "  questioned  Tom. 

"  There  is  no  tellin'  lad.  Perhaps  through  the 
night,  an'  perhaps  for  a  couple  o'  days." 

"  If  it  lasts  two  days,  we'll  be  snowed  in  for 
[keeps !  "  came  from  Sam. 

The  guide  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  True, 
Sam,  but  we've  got  to  take  what  comes." 

"Let  us  take  account  of  our  provisions,"  said 
Dick.  "  If  there  is  any  prospect  of  our  being 
snowed  in  we'll  have  to  eat  sparingly,  or  run  the 
risk  of  being  starved  to  death." 

There  was  not  much  to  count  up;  some  meat 
and  crackers  Dick  and  the  guide  had  brought 
along,  and  the  meat,  crackers,  and  the  rabbit  in 
Tom  and  Sam's  store.  In  his  pockets  John  Bar 
row  also  carried  some  coffee,  sugar,  and  some 
salt. 

"  Not  such  a  very  small  lot,"  was  Dick's  com 
ment.  "  But  it  might  be  more." 

A  scanty  evening  meal  was  quickly  disposed  of, 
and  then  the  candle  was  blown  out,  and  all  retired 
to  rest.  The  boys  were  soon  sound  asleep,  and 
-,  presently  the  guide  followed,  but  with  his  hand 
on  his  gun,  ready  for  any  attack  by  man  or  beast, 
should  it  come. 

The  night  passed  quietly  enough,  for  presently 
the  wind  went  down.  The  snow  grew  thicker 
than  ever,  until  it  covered  the  river  to  a  depth  of 


ig6      ROVER   BOYS  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS. 

two  feet  and  more.     Around  the  cedars  there  was 
a  huge  drift,  burying  the  shelter  completely. 

It  was  Dick  who  roused  up  first,  to  find  all 
pitch-dark  around  him.  Bringing  out  a  match, 
he  lit  the  candle  and  looked  at  his  watch. 

"  Seven  o'clock !  "  he  murmured.  "  Guess  I'll  { 
go  out  and  see  what  the  weather  is.'* 

Stretching  himself,  he  walked  to  the  blanket 
which  had  been  placed  over  the  opening,  and 
tried  to  thrust  it  aside.  At  once  a  mass  of  snow 
came  tumbling  down  and  sifted  in  all  directions, 
a  good  share  on  Tom's  face. 

"Hi!  who's  washing  my  face  with  snow?" 
cried  Tom,  as  he  opened  his  eyes  and  sat  up. 
"  That's  a  mean  trick,  Dick,  on  a  fellow  who  is 
dead  tired  out." 

"  I  didn't  mean  to  do  it,  Tom.  I  was  going 
outside,  to  see  how  the  weather  is.  I  reckon  the 
snow  is  pretty  deep." 

The  talking  aroused  the  guide  and  Sam,  and 
soon  all  were  on  their  feet.  The  snow  in  the 
opening  was  pushed  back  and  they  forced  their 
way  outside,  to  find  themselves  in  a  drift  up  to 
their  waists. 

"Gosh,  but  we  are  right  in  it!"  was  Tom's', 
comment.     "  See,  the  river  is  completely  covered. 
That  settles  skating." 

"  And  the  worst  of  it  is,  it  is  still  snowing," 
came  from  Dick. 


SNOWED  IN.  197 

"  With  no  signs  of  letting  up,"  finished  John 
Barrow.  "Boys,  I  am  afraid  we  are  snowed  in, 
or  snowed  up,  just  as  you  feel  like  calling  it." 

"Do  you  mean  we'll  have  to  remain  here?" 
questioned  Sam  quickly. 

"  For  the  present.  We  are  a  good  four  miles 
from  the  pond,  and  we  can't  tramp  that  in  this 
storm." 

The  wind  was  rising  again,  with  a  dull  moan 
ing  through  the  timber,  and  sending  the  flakes 
whirling  in  all  directions,  and  they  were  glad 
enough  to  get  back  to  the  shelter  of  the  cedars. 

"  We'll  clear  a  space  in  the  snow  and  start  a 
fire,"  said  the  guide.  "A  hot  cup  o'  coffee  will 
do  us  all  good." 

"  And  we  can  cook  that  other  rabbit  Tom  and 
I  brought  along,"  put  in  Sam. 

Brushwood  was  handy,  and  Tom  helped  to 
cut  some  of  this  with  the  hunting  knife  he  had 
brought  along.  Soon  a  lively  blaze  was  warming 
them  up,  and  water  was  boiling  for  the  coffee, 
while  the  rabbit  was  cleaned,  and  broiled  on  a 
long  fork  in  the  guide's  outfit.  Crackers  were 
» running  low,  and  they  had  but  two  apiece. 

"  I'll  try  fishing  as  soon  as  I'm  done,"  said 
John  Barrow,  and  was  as  good  as  his  word. 

It  was  no  easy  task  to  cut  a  hole  through  the 
ice,  but  once  this  was  accomplished  the  fish  were 
found  to  be  lively  enough,  despite  the  storm  and 


ig8       ROVER   BOYS   IN    THE   MOUNTAINS. 

the  cold.  Inside  of  an  hour  they  had  a  mess  of 
nine,  sufficient  to  last  them  for  several  meals. 
And  while  the  others  were  fishing,  Dick  caught 
sight  of  a  flock  of  birds,  and  brought  down  three. 

"  There,  we  won't  starve  yet  awhile,"  said 
Dick,  as  he  began  to  clean  his  game. 

"  That's  true,"  answered  Tom,  "  although  we 
may  get  pretty  tired  of  birds  and  fish  before  we 
get  out  of  here  and  strike  something  different/' 

"  I  wonder  how  the  Baxter  crowd  is  faring," 
said  Sam.  "  Unless  they  got  back  to  the  cave 
they  can't  be  having  a  very  good  time  of  it." 

"  They  don't  deserve  a  good  time  of  it,"  grum 
bled  Tom.  "  They  deserve  to  suffer." 

"  Bill  Harney  is  a  good  enough  guide  to  know 
what  to  do,"  put  in  John  Barrow.  "  He  will 
pull  them  through  somehow — that  is,  if  he  knows 
enough  to  remain  sober." 

They  had  hoped  that  the  storm  would  let  up 
by  noon,  but  twelve  o'clock  found  the  snow  com 
ing  down  as  fast  as  ever,  blotting  out  the  land 
scape  on  every  hand.  Outside  of  the  moaning 
of  the  wind  all  was  as  silent  as  a  tomb. 

There  was  but  a  little  for  the  boys  to  do,  and, 
after  the  fishing  was  over  they  were  glad  enough 
to  take  it  easy  in  the  shelter  and  listen  to  several 
stories  John  Barrow  had  to  tell.  The  guide  also 
related  what  he  knew  concerning  Goupert  and  the 
various  hunts  made  for  the  missing  treasure. 


SNOWED  IN.  599 

"  He  must  have  been  a  fierce  sort  of  a  man  in 
his  day,"  observed  Dick.  "  I  don't  wonder  the 
most  of  the  folks  in  this  region  were  content  to 
leave  him  alone." 

It  was  almost  nightfall  when  tHe  snow  stopped 
coming  down,  and  then  it  was  too  dark  to  at 
tempt  the  journey  to  Bear  Pond. 

"  We'll  have  to  make  another  night  of  it  here," 
said  John  Barrow.  "  Then,  if  it's  clear,  we  can 
start  for  the  pond  early  in  the  morning." 

"  Hark !  "  cried  Tom,  rousing  up.  "  Did  you 
hear  that?" 

"Hear  what?"  came  from  the  others. 

"  I  thought  I  heard  somebody  calling." 

All  listened.  For  a  few  seconds  silence 
reigned,  then  came  an  uncertain  sound  from  a 
considerable  distance. 

"There  it  is!" 

"  That's  somebody  calling,  sure,"  said  the 
guide.  "  Must  be  down  along  the  river.  I'll  go 
out  an'  look." 

"Can  I  go  along?"  asked  Dick.  "You  may 
want  help — if  somebody  is  in  trouble." 

"  All  right.     Bring  your  gun  with  you." 

In  another  minute  they  had  started  out,  each 
with  his  gun,  and  with  his  trouser  legs  tied  up 
with  bits  of  cord,  to  keep  the  deep  snow  from 
reaching  up  to  their  boot-tops.  Their  course  was 
directly  for  the  river. 


200       ROVER  BOYS  IN   THE   MOUNTAINS, 

It  was  so  dark  they  could  see  little  or  nothing, 
saving  the  whiteness  which  spread  in  all  direc 
tions. 

"Hullo!  hullo!"  yelled  John  Barrow,  when 
the  river  was  gained. 

"  Help !  "  came  back  faintly.     "  Help !  " 

"  Somebody  over  thar ! "  said  the  guide,  and 
pointed  a  short  distance  up  the  stream.  "  Guess 
he's  in  a  peck  o'  trouble,  too." 

He  started  in  the  direction,  and  Dick  came 
close  behind.  The  party  in  distress  was  a  man, 
whose  cries  for  aid  were  gradually  becoming 
weaker  and  weaker.  Before  they  reached  the 
individual  his  voice  ceased  entirly. 

"He  has  fainted  from  exhaustion,"  said  John 
Barrow,  as  he  reached  the  wayfarer. 

"  Why,  it's  Jasper  Grinder,  our  old  teacher !  " 
ejaculated  Dick. 

The  eldest  Rover  was  right.  The  unfortunate 
man  was  indeed  the  former  teacher  of  Putnam 
Hall,  but  so  pinched  and  haggard  as  to  be 
scarcely  recognized.  He  had  fallen  on  a  bar  rock, 
and  this  had  cut  open  his  left  cheek,  from  which 
the  blood  was  flowing. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

AN.  UNWELCOME   COMRADE. 

"  HE'S  in  a  bad  way,  that's  cerfain,"  was  Dick's 
comment,  as  he  surveyed  the  prostrate  form. 
Even  though  Jasper  Grinder  was  an  enemy,  he 
could  not  help  but  feel  sorry  for  the  man. 

"  We  must  get  him  up  to  our  shelter  as  soon 
as  possible,"  replied  John  Barrow.  "  It  is  easy 
to  see  he  is  half  frozen— and  maybe  starved." 

"Shall  we  carry  him?" 

"  We'll  have  to ;  there  is  no  other  way." 

Slinging  their  guns  across  their  backs,  they 
raised  up  the  form  of  the  unconscious  man. 
He  was  a  dead  weight,  and  to  carry  him  through 
that  deep  snow  was  no  light  task.  Less  than  half 
the  distance  to  the  shelter  was  covered  when  Dick 
called  a  halt. 

"I'll  have  to  rest  up!"  he  gasped.  "He 
weighs  a  ton." 

But  in  a  few  minutes  he  resumed  the  journey, 
and  now  they  did  not  stop  with  their  load  until 
the  shelter  was  reached.  Tom  and  Sam  were 

watching  for  them. 

201 


2oa       ROVER    BOYS   IN    THE    MOUNTAINS. 

"  Jasper  Grinder,  by  all  that's  wonderful ! " 
burst  out  Tom. 

"Was  he  alone?"  questioned  Sam. 

"  He  was,  so  far  as  we  could  see,"  answered 
Dick.     "  I  can  tell  you,  he's  almost  a  case  for| 
an  undertaker." 

This  remark  made  everyone  feel  sober,  and 
while  the  two  younger  Rovers  stirred  up  the  fire, 
Dick  and  the  guide  did  all  in  their  power  to  bring 
the  unconscious  man  to  his  senses.  Some  hot 
coffee  was  poured  down  his  throat,  arid  his  hands 
and  back  were  vigorously  rubbed. 

"  Oh ! "  came  faintly,  at  last,  and  Jasper 
Grinder  slowly  opened  his  eyes.  "  Oh !  " 

"  Take  it  easy,  Mr.  Grinder,"  said  Dick  kindly. 
"  You  are  safe  now." 

"  But  the  bear !  Where  is  the  bear  ?  "  mur 
mured  the  dazed  man. 

"  There  is  no  bear  here." 

"  He  is  after  me !  He  wants  to  chew  me 
up!" 

With  this  Jasper  Grinder  relapsed  into  uncon 
sciousness  once  more. 

"  I  reckon  a  b'ar  chased  him  and  he  lost  nigs 
reckonin',"  was  John  Barrow's  comment.  "  Bring 
him  up  to  the  fire.  He  wants  warmin'." 

Yet,  with  all  the  care  they  were  able  to  bestow, 
it  was  a  good  hour  before  Jasper  Grinder  was 
able  to  sit  up  and  relate  what  had  occurred  to 


AN  UNWELCOME  COMRADE.  203 

him.  He  was  very  hungry,  and  eagerly  dis 
posed  of  every  scrap  of  food  they  had  to  offer 
him. 

"  I  have  been  lost  in  the  timber  since  yester 
day,"  he  said.  f<  Oh,  it  was  awful,  the  wind  and 
the  snow,  and  the  intense  cold.  Sometimes  I 
could  not  feel  my  feet,  and  I  knew  I  was  freez 
ing  to  death.  And  I  hadn't  a  mouthful  to  eat!  '* 

"  But  where  are  the  others  ?  "  questioned  Dick. 

"  I  don't  know — back  to  that  cave,  I  suppose. 
We  were  out  looking  for  some  trace  of — ahem — 
of  Tom  and  Sam,  when  I  became  separated  from 
the  others.  Then,  in  trying  to  find  my  way  back 
to  the  cave,  I  fell  in  with  a  big  black  bear.  The 
ugly  creature  came  after  me,  and  I  ran  for  my 
life,  through  the  brushwood  and  the  snow,  until 
I  came  to  a  cliff.  I  fell  over  this,  landed  on  an 
icy  slope,  and  rolled  and  rolled  until  I  struck  the 
river.  Then  I  got  up  and  tried  to  get  back  to 
the  cave,  but  it  was  out  of  the  question.  I  found 
an  opening  in  the  cliff,  on  going  back,  and  re 
mained  there  until  morning,  when  that  bear,  or 
another  like  him,  roused  me  and  caused  me  an 
other  roll  down  to  the  river." 

"Didn't  the  bear  follow  you?"  asked  Tom. 

"He  followed  as  far  as  the  river.  But  I  ran 
with  all  my  might  through  the  deep  snow,  and 
presently  he  gave  up  the  pursuit.  Then  I  went 
on  and  on  until  I  happened  to  catch  a  glimpse 


204       ROVER    BOYS   IN.    THE   MOUNTAINS. 

of  your  camp-fire,  and  set  up  a  cry  for  help.  I 
slipped  on  a  rock  and  hit  my  cheek,  and  the  loss 
of  blood  and  the  shock  made  me  dizzy.  The 
next  I  knew  I  was  here." 

"  You  may  be  thankful  that  we  found  you  and 
brought  you  in,"  was  the  remark  made  by  John 
"Barrow.  "If  you  had  remained  out  there  this 
night,  you'd  V  been  a  corpse  by  mornin', 
sure!" 

"  I  suppose  that's  true,"  said  Jasper  Grinder, 
with  a  thoughtful  look.  His  experience  had 
humbled  him  greatly.  He  was  so  exhausted  that 
he  soon  fell  asleep,  breathing  heavily.  The  boys 
and  John  Barrow  gazed  at  him  curiously. 

"  His  being  with  us  presents  a  problem,"  said 
Dick.  "What  are  we  to  do  with  him?" 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  want  him  along,"  answered 
Sam  promptly.  He  had  not  forgotten  the  treat 
ment  received  at  Putnam  Hall. 

"  None  of  us  want  him,  I  take  it,  Sam.  But 
we  can't  leave  him  behind  to  starve.  And  I  doubt 
if  he  can  find  his  way  back  to  the  Baxter  camp 
alone." 

"  No,  he  can't  do  that,"  put  in  the  guide.    "  It 

p  is  easy  to  see  he  knows  nothing  of  the  woods 

and  mountains.     He  was  a  fool  to  come  here." 

"  If  we  take  him  along,  we  ought  to  make  him 
do  his  share  of  the  work,"  said  Tom.  "  But  I 
don't  like  it.  He'll  be  forever  spying  on  us,  and 


AN  UNWELCOME  COMRADE.  205 

if  we  find  that  treasure  he'll  try  to  get  ft  away, 
mark  my  words." 

"  The  only  thing  we  can  do  is  to  watch  him, 
and  not  let  him  have  any  gun  or  pistol,"  said 
Dick.  "  He  won't  dare  to  leave  us,  unarmed, 
especially  if  we  tell  him  of  all  the  wild  animals 
that  are  around." 

The  subject  was  discussed  for  fully  an  hour, 
but  no  satisfactory  conclusion  was  reached,  and 
presently  one  after  another  dropped  off  to  sleep; 
the  guide  being  the  last  to  lie  down,  after  fixing 
the  camp-fire  for  the  night,  so  that  a  share  of  the 
warmth  might  drift  into  the  shelter. 

On  the  following  day  the  sun  came  up  bright 
and  clear.  It  was  still  bitterly  cold,  and  they 
were  loath  to  leave  the  vicinity  of  the  camp-fire. 
But  John  Barrow  urged  that  they  make  good  use 
of  the  clear  weather,  and  so  they  started  up  the 
river  as  soon  as  they  had  disposed  of  their  break 
fast  of  fish  and  birds. 

"  To  be  sure  I'll  go  along,  if  I  can  walk,"  was 
what  Jasper  Grinder  said  on  being  questioned. 
"  I  wouldn't  remain  behind  alone  for  a  fortune, 
and  I  am  sure  I  can't  find  the  Baxter  party  now. 
Please  don't  cast  me  off!  It  wouldn't  be 
human !  " 

"  I  believe  you'd  cast  us  off,  if  we  were  in  a 
similar  situation,"  was  Tom's  comment.  "  The 
way  you  treated  Sam  at  the  Hall  shows  that  you 


206       ROVER   BOYS   IN    THE   MOUNTAINS. 

don't  care  how  some  folks  suffer.  But  you  can 
go  along,  for  we  are  not  brutes.  But  you've  got 
to  be  careful  how  you  behave,  or  otherwise  out 
you  go,  to  shift  for  yourself,  no  matter  how  cold 
it  is  or  how  many  wild  animals  are  around." 

"  I  will  do  nothing  that  does  not  meet  with 
the  approval  of  all  of  you,"  answered  the  former 
teacher  humbly.  "  And  remember,  Thomas,  I 
was  willing  to  aid  you  when  you  were  a  prisoner 
in  the  cave  in  the  gully." 

"  You  were — for  a  big  consideration,"  re 
turned  Tom  dryly.  "Let  me  tell  you  flatly,  I 
don't  take  much  stock  in  your  so-called  gener 
osity." 

They  were  soon  on  the  way,  straight  down  to 
the  river  and  then  up  that  stream.  John  Barrow 
was  in  the  lead,  with  Sam  following.  Jasper 
came  next,  and  Tom  and  Dick  brought  up  the 
rear.  As  far  as  possible  the  guide  sought  out  a 
trail  along  the  timber,  where  the  snow  was  not  so 
deep.  Here  and  there  were  bare  spots,  but  at 
other  places  were  deep  drifts,  where  they  fre 
quently  got  in  up  to  their  armpits. 

"  This  is  no  joke!"  gasped  Sam,  after  floun 
dering  through  an  extra  deep  drift.  "  I  thought 
I  was  going  out  of  sight  that  time." 

"  I  trust  we  haven't  much  further  to  go,"  was 
Jasper  Grinder's  comment.  "  I  would  give  a 
hundred  dollars  to  be  back  at  Timber  Run." 


AN  UNWELCOME  COMRADE.  207 

"  It's  your  own  fault  you  are  here,"  retorted 
Sam. 

"  I  might  say  the  same  of  you,"  returned  the 
former  teacher  sharply. 

By  noon  John  Barrow  calculated  they  had  cov 
ered  half  the  distance  to  Bear  Pond.  A  sheltered 
nook  was  found  between  some  rocks  and  trees, 
and  here  they  set  fire  to  a  mass  of  brushwood, 
that  they  might  get  warm  while  they  rested,  and 
ate  the  last  of  the  food  on  hand.  There  was  no 
wind,  and  the  sun,  shining  as  brightly  as  ever, 
made  the  surface  of  the  snow  glitter  like  dia 
monds. 

"  I  hope  we  find  our  stores  at  the  cache  undis 
turbed,"  said  Dick,  while  resting.  "  I  am  hungry 
for  a  change  of  diet.  As  soon  as  we  get  there 
I'm  going  to  make  some  biscuits  and  boil  some 
beans." 

"  Gosh,  but  a  plateful  of  beans  would  be  fine !  " 
cried  Tom.  "  I  can  tell  you  what,"  he  added 
reflectively;  "you  want  to  do  without  things  to 
learn  their  real  value." 

On  they  went  once  more,  this  time  slower  than 
before,  because  both  Sam  and  Jasper  Grinder 
showed  great  signs  of  weariness.  They  had  to 
move  around  a  long  bend  of  the  stream,  and  for 
fear  of  getting  into  a  deep  drift  the  guide  did 
not  dare  to  make  a  short  cut.  They  passed  the 
pole  set  up  by  John  Barrow  and  Dick  at  the 


208       ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

forks  of  the  stream,  and  then  headed  directly  for 
where  the  cache  was  located. 

"  When  we  get  settled  we  can  put  up  a  regular 
hut,"  said  John  Barrow.  "  Then  we  can  be  as 
comfortable,  almost,  as  at  home." 

"  I'm  anxious  to  locate  the  treasure,"  said 

Tom.  "  We  can Gracious  me !  Look 

there!" 

They  had  come  in  sight  of  the  cache,  and  now 
beheld  two  great  black  bears  standing  over  the 
loose  stones,  doing  their  best  to  scratch  them 
away  and  get  at  the  party's  stores! 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

BRINGING   DOWN,   TWO   BEARS. 

"  BEARS  !  "  burst  out  Sam,  and  started  back  in 
alarm. 

"  Bears !  "  shrieked  Jasper  Grinder,  and  turned 
as  pale  as  death.  "  Oh,  somebody  save  me ! " 
He  wanted  to  run,  but  he  was  in  such  a  tremble 
he  could  not,  and  sank  on  his  knees  in  the  snow 
in  terror. 

Crack!  It  was  the  report  of  John  Barrow's 
rifle,  and  one  of  the  bears  was  hit  full  in  the  left 
eye.  Crack!  went  the  piece  Dick  carried,  and 
the  other  bear  was  hit  in  the  neck.  Then  Tom 
fired  the  shotgun  which  had  been  found  on  Jas 
per  Grinder,  and  the  bear  Dick  had  hit  was 
wounded  in  the  side. 

Of  course  there  followed  a  terrible  uproar,  and 
in  a  twinkle  both  bears  left  the  pile  of  rocks  and 
came  towards  those  who  had  wounded  them. 
The  one  that  had  been  wounded  in  the  eye  was 
mortally  hit,  however,  and  staggered  in  a  heap 
before  he  had  gone  ten  paces. 

But  the  second  bear  was  full  of  fight,  and  his 
course  was  directly  for  Tom.  Before  the  lad 
could  run  the  beast  was  almost  on  top  of  him. 

209 


2io        ROVER  BOYS  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"Dodge  him!"  called  out  Dick.  "Dodge 
him,  Tom ! " 

"Shoot  him,  somebody!"  yelled  back  Tom. 
"  Shoot  him,  quick !  " 

And  then  he  dodged  behind  some  nearby 
brush.  But  the  bear  was  almost  as  quick,  and 
ran  directly  into  the  brushwood,  to  face  him  on 
the  opposite  side. 

By  this  time  John  Barrow  had  the  rifle  re 
loaded,  and  now  he  skirted  the  brushwood,  fol 
lowed  by  Dick.  Crack !  went  the  rifle  again,  just 
as  bruin  was  about  to  pounce  upon  Tom.  But 
the  bullet  merely  clipped  the  hair  on  the  bear's 
back,  and  in  a  twinkle  the  beast  was  on  Tom 
and  had  the  lad  down. 

With  his  heart  in  his  throat,  Dick  made  a  leap 
with  the  shotgun.  Bang!  went  the  piece,  when 
he  was  not  >pver  three  yards  from  the  bear.  The 
charge  entered  the  beast's  ear,  and  with  a  snort 
he  rolled  over  and  over  in  the  snow,  sending  it 
flying  in  every  direction. 

Freed  of  the  bear,  Tom  lost  no  time  in  scram 
bling  to  his  feet.  Soon  the  struggles  of  the  beast 
ceased,  and  they  knew  he  was  either  dying  or 
dead.  To  make  sure,  John  Barrow  stepped  in, 
hunting  knift  in  hand,  and  plunged  the  blade  into 
his  throat.  Then  the  other  bear  was,  served  in 
the  same  fashion. 

The  fight  had  been  of  short  duration,  yet  the 


'BRINGING  DOWN   TWO    BEARS.  211 

peril  had  been  extreme,  and  after  it  was  over, 
poor  Tom  found  he  could  scarcely  stand.  Dick 
led  him  to  a  rock  and  set  him  down,  asking  him 
if  he  was  hurt. 

"  I  got  a  scratch  on  the  arm,  but  I  reckon  it's 
not  much,"  was  the  faint  answer.  "  But  it  was 
a  close  call,  wasn't  it?" 

"  Those  bears  must  have  been  awfully  hungry, 
or  they  wouldn't  have  put  up  such  a  fight,"  said 
the  guide.  "  Their  being  at  the  cache  proves 
they  wanted  food." 

"Well,  we've  got  the  food  now,"  returned 
Dick  firmly.  "  We'll  have  all  the  bear  steaks 
and  roasts  anybody  wants." 

"  Yes,  and  I  can  tell  you  a  juicy  steak  will  just 
be  boss !  "  put  in  Sam  enthusiastically. 

It  was  seen  that  Tom  was  hurt  more  than  fid1 
cared  to  admit,  and  the  others  lost  no  time  in 
building  a  big  camp-fire,  that  they  might  warm 
themselves,  while  Dick  took  off  his  brother's  coat, 
rolled  up  his  shirt-sleeves,  and  bandadged  an  ugfy 
scratch  with  a  bit  of  linen. 

"You  can  help  here,"  said  John  Barrow  to 
Jasper  Grinder.  "  I'll  fix  it  as  your  duty  to  keep 
the  fire  a-goin'.  There  is  a  hatchet  and  there  is 
the  brushwood.  Don't  let  the  fire  go  down,  or 
I'm  afraid  there  won't  be  enough  heat  for  cook 
ing  your  supper."  And  the  guide  smiled  grimly. 

At  this  indirect  threat  Jasper  Grinder  scowled. 


212        ROVER  BOYS  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS. 

But  he  did  not  dare  to  complain,  and  was  soon  at 
work  cutting  brushwood  and  dragging  it  to  the 
spot 

"  Gosh,  but  he's  not  used  to  hard  work,"  was 
Sam's  whispered  comment.  "  I'll  wager  he 
doesn't  like  that  for  a  cent" 

"  It's  time  he  was  set  to  work  doing  some 
thing,"  answered  Dick.  "  It  will  keep  him  from 
getting  into  mischief." 

As  late  as  it  was,  and  although  all  were  tired 
out  from  their  long  walk  through  the  deep  snow, 
they  found  it  necessary  to  construct  some  shel 
ter  for  the  night  The  guide  located  a  number 
of  cedars  growing  close  together,  and  this  spot 
was  cleaned  out  and  made  as  comfortable  as  cir 
cumstances  permitted.  The  fire  was  shoved  over 
to  the  new  location,  and  then  John  Barrow  cut  up 
one  of  the  bears  and  procured  a  big  juicy  steak 
for  supper.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  all  enjoyed 
the  treat  set  before  them,  even  Jasper  Grinder 
eating  his  full  share. 

"  We'll  hang  the  meat  up  on  a  tree,"  said  John 
Barrow.  "  If  we  don't  some  hungry  foxes  or 
other  wild  animals  will  surely  be  after  it"  And 
procuring  the  necessary  ropes,  he  flung  them  over 
some  limbs  and  all  hauled  the  carcasses  up,  Tom, 
of  course,  being  excused  from  the  task,  because 
of  his  wounded  arm. 

The  wind  had  gone  down,  and  when  all  retired 


BRINGING  DOWN   TWO    BEARS.          213 

within  the  shelter  not  a  sound  but  the  merry 
crackling  of  the  fire  broke  the  stillness  around 
them.  In  front  of  the  camp  was  a  long  stretch 
of  the  pond,  now  thickly  covered  with  snow;  in 
the  rear  a  slope  of  a  mountain,  rock-ribbed  and 
'  covered  with  cedars  and  hemlock.  To  the  left 
was  located  one  of  the  branches  of  the  river  and 
a  hundred  yards  distant  was  a  second  branch. 

At  first  John  Barrow  had  thought  to  set  a 
guard  for  the  night,  but  as  the  spot  seemed  free 
from  danger  for  the  time  being,  this  was  dis 
pensed  with,  and  all  went  to  bed,  to  sleep  soundly 
until  sunrise. 

"  And  now  for  the  treasure  hunt ! "  cried  Sam, 
who  was  among  the  first  to  awaken.  "  It's  just  a 
perfect  day,  and  we  ought  to  accomplish  a  good 
deal,  if  we  set  to  work  right  after  breakfast." 

He  talked  freely,  for  Jasper  Grinder  was  still 
asleep — snoring  lustily  in  a  corner  of  the  shelter. 
John  Barrow  was  already  outside,  boiling  coffee, 
broiling  another  bear  steak,  and  preparing  a  pot 
of  beans  for  cooking.  He  had  likewise  set  some 
bread  for  raising. 

'      "  Coin'  to  give  you  a  breakfast  as  is  a  brealc- 
'  fast,"    said    the    guide,    with    a    broad    smile. 
"  Reckon  all  of  you  are  ready  for  it,  eh  ?  " 

"  I  am,"  said  Dick.  "  Phew !  but  this  moun 
tain  air  does  give  one  a  tremendous  appetite ! " 

While  Jasper  Grinder  still  slept  Dick  brought 


214        ROVER  BOYS  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS. 

forth  the  precious  map  and  studied  the  descrip 
tion,  and  also  the  translation  of  the  French  text 
into  English,  which  Randolph  Rover  had  made 
for  them. 

" '  To  find  the  box  of  silver  and  gold,  go  to 
where  Bear  Pond  empties  into  Perch  River,'  "  he 
read.  "  Well,  we  are  at  this  spot,  or,  at  least, 
at  one  of  the  spots.  It  may  mean  this  branch, 
and  it  may  mean  one  of  several  others." 

"  We  can  try  one  branch  after  another,"  put  in 
Sam.  "  Go  on  with  the  description." 

"  *  Ten  paces  to  the  west  is  a  large  pine  tree 
which  was  once  struck  by  lightning,'  "  continued 
Dick.  He  looked  around.  "  I  don't  see  any  tree 
like  that  around  here." 

"  You  must  remember,  my  Ia3,  that  that  writin' 
was  put  down  years  ago,"  said  John  Barrow. 
"  More'n  likely  if  the  tree  was  struck  an'  blasted, 
it's  fallen  long  ago,  and  the  spring  freshets  car 
ried  it  down  the  river." 

"  That's  true,"  said  Sam,  with  a  falling  look. 
"  But,  anyway,  we  ought  to  be  able  to  locate  the 
stump." 

"  Yes,  we  ought  to  be  able  to  do  that." 

"  I'm  going  to  locate  it  now,"  cried  Sam,  and 
stalked  off  to  where  the  pond  emptied  into  the 
stream.  From  this  spot  he  stalked  ten  paces 
westward,  and  of  a  sudden  disappeared  from 
view. 


BRINGING  DOWN   TWO    BEARS,  215 

"Help!"  he  cried. 

"  Hullo,  Sam's  disappeared !  "  cried  Dick,  and 
ran  toward  the  spot. 

"  Look  out !  "  sang  out  John  Barrow.  "  There 
.may  be  a  nasty  hole  there!  " 

Nevertheless,  he  too  went  forward,  and  they 
soon  beheld  Sam  floundering  in  snow  up  to  his 
neck.  He  had  stepped  into  a  hollow  between  the 
rocks,  and  it  todk  him  some  time  to  extricate  him 
self  from  the  unpleasant  position. 

"  Oh,  my,  what  a  bath ! "  he  exclaimed  rue 
fully,  as  he  tried  to  get  the  snow  from  out  of  his 
collar  and  his  coat-sleeves.  "  I — I  didn't  think 
of  a  pitfall  like  that!" 

"You  want  to  be  careful  how  you  journey 
around  here,"  cautioned  John  Barrow.  "  If  that 
hollow  had  been  twice  as  deep  the  snow  might 
have  smothered  you  to  death." 

"  I  will  be  careful,"  answered  Sam.  "  I  don't 
want  any  more  snow  down  my  back  and  up  my 
coat-sleeves,"  and  he  hurried  back  to  the  camp- 
fire  to  warm  himself. 

By  this  time  Tom  was  outside,  and  he  was  fol 
lowed  by  Jasper  Grinder,  and  presently  all  sat 
down  close  to  the  blaze  to  enjoy  the  generous 
breakfast  the  guide  had  provided.  Tom  said 
that  his  arm  was  a  little  stiff,  but  that  other 
wise  he  felt  as  well  as  ever. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

TWO   FAILURES. 

WHAT  to  do  with  Jasper  Grinder  was  a  prob 
lem  which  none  of  the  boys  knew  how  to  solve. 
They  were  exceedingly  sorry  that  he  was  among 
them,  but  as  it  would  be  impossible  to  send  him 
off  alone  in  that  deep  snow,  they  felt  that  they 
would  have  to  make  the  best  of  the  situation. 

"  I  move  we  make  him  stay  around  the  camp," 
suggested  Tom.  "  He  can  watch  our  stores, 
keep  the  fire  furnished  with  wood,  and  do  some 
of  the  cooking." 

"  He  may  kick  at  playing  servant  girl,"  said 
Sam. 

"  I  think  Tom  is  right,"  put  in  Dick.  "  We 
don't  want  him  .along  while  we  are  trying  to 
locate  the  treasure." 

"  He  may  slip  away  with  our  things — if  he 
finds  any  trace  of  Baxter's  party,"  went  on  Sam. 
"  And  we  can't  afford  to  lose  anything  more. 
One  sled-load  is  enough.  We'll  be  wanting  some 
of  those  other  things  before  long." 

216 


TWO  FAILURES.  217 

"I  don't  believe  that  other  party  is  around 
here,"  said  John  Barrow.  "  We  had  better  leave 
the  man  at  the  fire.  We  can  keep  our  eyes  open 
for  the  enemy — as  you  call  'em." 

So  it  was  arranged,  and  Dick  told  the  former 
teacher.  Jasper  Grinder  said  but  little  in  return, 
but  asked  about  the  possibility  of  any  more  wild 
beasts  coming  up. 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  left  alone  to  face  another 
couple  of  bears,"  he  said.  "  They  would  do 
their  best  to  chew  me  up ! " 

"  We  will  leave  a  gun  in  camp,"  said  Dick. 
"  If  you  see  a  bear  coming,  you  can  climb  a  tree 
and  keep  him  off  with  the  gun.  If  we  hear  a 
shot,  we'll  come  back  just  as  quickly  as  we  can. 
But,  Grinder,  I  want  you  to  understand  that  you 
aren't  to  play  us  false,"  went  on  the  eldest  Rover. 
"If  you  do  we'll  have  no  mercy  on  you,  remem 
ber  that!" 

Half  an  hour  later  the  boys  and  their  guide 
set  off  on  their  first  hunt  for  the  treasure.  With 
great  care  John  Barrow  led  the  way  over  the 
rocks  and  other  rough  places.  He  carried  a  long 
•  pole,  which  he  plunged  in  the  snow  before  him 
whenever  he  was  afraid  there  was  a  hollow  ahead. 
Soon  they  gained  the  spot  where  Dick  thought 
the  blasted  tree  might  be  located. 

The  snow  was  scraped  away,  first  in  one  direc 
tion  and  then  another,  until  a  spot  several  yards 


218        ROVER  BOYS  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS. 

in  diameter  was  cleared.  No  tree-stump  was 
brought  to  light,  although  they  found  a  slight 
hollow  in  which  were  several  big  roots. 

"This  might  have  been  the  tree  once,"  said 
John  Barrow  mediatively.  "Years  make  great 
changes,  you  know.  The  trees  fall,  rocks  and 
dirt  slide  down  hill,  and  that  makes  a  big  differ 
ence  in  the  looks  o'  things." 

"  All  we  can  do  is  to  follow  the  directions  on 
the  map,"  said  Dick.  "  I  think  we'll  be  bound  to 
strike  the  right  clew,  sooner  or  later.  Let  us  fol 
low  this  one  and  see  where  it  leads  to." 

"  What's  the  next  directions  ? "  questioned 
Tom. 

"  '  Go  due  southwest  from  the  pine  tree  sixty- 
two  paces,'  "  answered  Dick,  reading  from  the 
translation  given  him.  "  Which  is  southwest, 
Mr.  Barrow?" 

"  Soon  tell  ye  that,"  answered  the  guide,  and 
brought  forth  his  pocket  compass.  "  That  way." 
And  he  pointed  with  his  arm. 

With  the  compass  to  guide  them  they  set  off, 
the  guide  in  the  lead  once  more,  and  Dick  count 
ing  off  the  sixty-two  paces  with  great  care.  The  .„ 
way  was  up  a  hillside  and  over  half  a  dozen  rough 
rocks,  and  then  into  a  hollow  where  the  snow 
was  up  to  their  waists. 

"  No  use  of  talking,  this  is  treasure-hunting 
tinder  difficulties,"  was  Sam's  comment.  "  Per- 


TWO   FAILURES.  219 

haps  we  would  have  done  better  had  we  left  the 
hunt  till  summer  time." 

"And  let  Baxter  get  ahead  of  us?"  put  in 
Tom.  "Not  much!"  He  turned  to  Dick. 
"What's  the  next  directions  on  the  paper?" 

"  There  ought  to  be  a  flat  rock  here,  backed  up , 
by  a   sharp-pointed   pne,"   answered  the   eldest 
Rover.     "  I  don't  see  anything  of  a  sharp-pointed 
rock,  do  you??     That  flat  rock  may  be  under  us." 

"  No  sharp-pointed  rock  within  a  hundred  feet 
of  here,"  answered  Sam,  gazing  around.  He 
began  scraping  away  the  snow.  "  Dirt  under 
us,  too." 

"  That  settles  it,  then.  Trial  No.  I  is  a  failure. 
Mr.  Barrow,  we'll  have  to  try  the  next  stream." 

"  So  it  would  seem,  Dick.  Well,  you  boys 
mustn't  expect  too  easy  work  o'  it.  A  big  treas 
ure  ain't  picked  up  every  day." 

"The  trouble  of  it  is,  we  don't  know  how 
much  of  a  treasure  it  is,"  said  Tom.  "For  all 
we  know,  it  may  be  but  a  few  hundred  dollars — 
not  enough  to  pay  us,  really,  for  our  trouble." 

"  Well,  even  a  few  hundred  dollars  ain't  to  be 
sneezed  at." 

"  We  did  much  better  out  West,  when  we) 
located  our  mining  claim,"  said  Dick.  "  But  then 
we  came  up  here  for  fun  as  much  as  for  treas 
ure." 

The  tramp  to  where  the  next  stream  leading 


220        ROVER  BOYS  IN.  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

from  Bear  Pond  was  located  was  by  no  means 
easy.  They  had  to  crawl  around  a  tangled  mass 
of  brushwood  and  over  more  rough  rocks,  until 
they  gained  the  bosom  of  the  pond  itself.  Then 
they  skirted  the  shore  for  several  hundred  yards. 

"Hold  on!"  cried  Dick  suddenly.  "Rab 
bits  !  "  And  up  came  his  gun,  and  he  blazed 
away.  Sam  also  fired,  and  between  them  they 
brought  down  four  rabbits,  which  had  just  run 
out  of  a  hollow  log  a  short  distance  ahead. 

"  Good  shots !  "  cried  the  guide  enthusiastically. 
"  Couldn't  have  been  better.  I  see  you  are  used 
to  hunting.  Many  a  city  chap  would  have 
missed  'em  entirely.  I  had  one  feller  up  here 
year  before  last  wanted  to  bring  down  big  game, 
but  when  he  saw  a  deer  he  got  the  shakes  and 
didn't  think  of  shootin'  till  the  game  was  out  o' 
sight." 

The  four  rabbits  were  plump  and  heavy,  and 
the  boys  shouldered  them  with  much  satisfaction. 
Then  the  onward  course  was  resumed,  until  Dick 
again  called  a  Halt. 

"  Here  is  where  we'll  make  trial  No.  2,"  he 
said.  "  Now  see  if  any  of  you  can  locate  the 
olasted  tree  in  this  neighborhood." 

All  began  to  search  around  in  various  direc 
tions,  and  presently  Sam  let  out  a  call. 

"Here's  a  fallen  tree!" 

"Struck  by  lightning?"  queried  Dick. 


TWO  FAILURES.  221 

"  I  don't  know  about  that.  Perhaps  Mr.  Bar 
row  can  tell  us." 

The  others  walked  over,  and  the  guide  cleared 
the  snow  from  the  upper  end  of  the  fallen  timber. 

"  Not  much  signs  of  being  struck  by  anything 
but  the  wind,"  he  announced.  "  Still,  I  ain't  sure." 

"  We'll  try  from  this  point,  anyway,"  said 
Tom.  "  No  use  of  missing  any  chance,  however 
small."  And  on  this  the  others  agreed. 

Once  again  they  began  to  pace  off  the  ground 
as  before.  Here  the  task  was  as  difficult  as  ever, 
as  they  had  to  pass  through  some  timber  thickly 
intergrown  with  brush. 

"  I  suppose  in  Goupert's  time  this  timber 
was  small,"  observed  the  guide. 

The  tramping  around  was  beginning  to  tire 
them,  and  soon  Sam  had  to  stop  to  rest  and  get 
back  his  wind. 

"  I  feel  like  a  regular  snow-plow,"  he  gasped. 
*'  Tell  you  what,  it  takes  the  wind  right  out  of  a 
chap." 

"  You  rest  while  we  go  ahead,"  suggested 
Tom,  but  Sam  did  not  wish  to  do  this. 

"Not  much!  If  the  treasure  is  going  to  be 
found,  I  want  to  be  on  deck !  "  he  cried. 

Presently  they  were  at  it  again,  Dick  pacing  off 
the  steps  as  carefully  as  ever.  They  had  still 
fifteen  paces  to  go  when  John  Barrow  came  to  a 
stop  with  a  sniff  of  disgust. 


222       ROVER  BOYS  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"Wrong  ag'in!" 

"How  so?" 

"  This  is  leadin'  us  right  out  on  the  pond." 

"  I  declare,  so  it  is !  "  murmured  Dick.  "  We 
started  due  southwest,  didn't  we?" 

"  To  a  hair,  lad.  To  tell  the  truth,  I  didn't 
take  much  to  this  trail  from  the  start.  To  my 
mind  this  stream  is  a  new  one.  I  think  the  next 
outlet  is  one  of  the  old-timers." 

Once  more  they  held  a  conversation,  and  Tom 
asked  how  far  it  was  to  the  next  stream. 

"  Right  over  yonder  rise  o'  ground,"  answered 
the  guide.  "  But  hadn't  you  better  wait  till  after 
dinner  before  ye  tackle  it?  " 

Dick  consulted  his  watch. 

"  I  declare !  Quarter  to  twelve !  "  he  exclaimed. 
"  No  wonder  I'm  feeling  hungry." 

"  I  was  getting  hungry  myself,"  said  Tom. 
"  But  I  wasn't  going  to  be  the  first  to  stop.  What 
shall  we  do — go  back  to  camp  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Dick.  "  I  don't  like  the  idea  of 
leaving  Jasper  Grinder  there  all  day  alone." 

"  Nor  I,"  came  from  the  other  Rovers. 

John  Barrow  was  asked  to  lead  them  back  by 
the  shortest  route,  and  they  started  quarter  of  an 
hour  later,  after  all  had  had  a  chance  to  rest  and 
get  back  their  wind. 

"  I  hope  we  get  a  chance  at  some  deer  while  we 
are  up  here,"  remarked  Dick,  as  they  turned  back. 


TWO   FAILURES.  223 

"  I'll  take  you  to  where  there  are  deer,  after 
this  hunt  is  over,"  replied  John  Barrow.  "  I 
know  a  famous  spot,  and  it's  not  far,  either." 

"Hark!"  suddenly  cried  Tom.  "What  sort 
of  a  yelping  is  that?  " 

All  listened. 

"  Wolves !  "  answered  John  Barrow.  "  There 
must  be  quite  a  pack  of  'em,  too." 

"  I  suppose  they  get  pretty  hungry  when  there 
is  such  a  deep  snow,"  said  Tom. 

"  They  do.  More'n  likely  some  of  'em  have 
scented  our  b'ar  meat  and  they  want  some." 

"If  they  are  heading  for  our  camp,  they'll  give 
Jasper  Grinder  trouble,"  put  in  Sam^ 

He  had  scarcely  spoken  when  they  heard  the 
report  of  a  gun,  followed  by  a  louder  yelping  than 
ever. 

"  They've  attacked  him,  true  enough !  "  cried 
John  Barrow. 

"  Come  on,"  said  Dick.  "  The  sooner  we  get 
back  the  better.  Grinder  may  be  having  a  pile 
of  trouble,  and  the  wolves  may  tear  all  our  things 
tr  pieces  if  they  get  the  chance." 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

JASPER  GRINDER  AND  THE  WOLVES. 

LEFT  to  himself,  Jasper  Grinder  piled  the  wood 
on  the  camp-fire  and  then  sat  down  to  meditate 
on  the  turn  affairs  had  taken. 

He  was  in  a  thoroughly  sour  frame  of  mind. 
To  his  way  of  thinking  everything  had  gone 
wrong,  and  he  wondered  how  matters  would 
terminate. 

"  I  was  a  fool  to  come  out  here,  in  the  first 
place,"  he  told  himself!  "  I  ought  to  have  known 
that  Baxter  had  no  sure  thing  of  it.  If  I  hadn't 
fallen  in  with  the  Rovers,  I  would  have  frozen 
and  starved  to  death.  And  they  don't  want  me; 
that's  plainly  to  be  seen." 

Had  he  felt  able  to  do  so,  he  would  have 
packed  a  knapsack  with  provisions  and  started  on 
his  way  down  the  river  toward  Timber  Run.  But 
he  did  not  know  how  far  the  settlement  was 
away,  and  he  was  afraid  to  trust  himself  alone 
in  such  a  wilderness  as  confronted  him  on  every 
hand.  He  did  not  possess  much  money,  but  he 
would  have  given  every  dollar  to  be  safe  back 
in  the  city  again. 

224 


JASPER  GRINDER  AND  THE   WOLVES.    223 

He  wondered  if  the  Rovers  would  gain  posses 
sion  of  the  treasure  before  the  Baxter  party  came 
up,  and  also  wondered  what  would  happen  should 
the  two  parties  come  together.  He  had  not  been 
treated  very  well  by  Dan  Baxter,  and  so  he  hardly 
cared  who  came  out  on  top  in  the  struggle  for 
the  treasure. 

"  Whoever  gets  it  will  try  to  count  me  out," 
was  the  way  he  reasoned.  "  I'm  at  the  bottom 
of  the  heap,  and  likely  to  stay  there  for  some 
time  to  come." 

The  time  dragged  slowly,  and  to  occupy  him 
self  he  began  to  cut  more  wood  for  the  fire.  The 
task  made  him  grit  his  teeth. 

"  Got  to  work  like  a  common  woodchopper," 
Ee  muttered.  "  It's  a  shame !  " 

He  was  just  dragging  the  last  of  the  wood  up 
to  the  fire  when  a  sudden  yelping  broke  upon  his 
ears.  Looking  up,  he  saw  a  lone  wolf  standing 
at  the  edge  of  the  timber,  gazing  fixedly  at  him. 

"A1  wolf!"  he  muttered,  and  his  face  grew 
pale.  "  Scat ! "  And  he  waved  his  hand  threat 
eningly. 

The  wolf  disappeared  behind  some  brush,  but 
did  not  go  far.  Sitting  down,  it  let  out  the  most 
dismal  howls  imaginable,  which  soon  brought  a 
dozen  or  more  other  wolves  to  the  scene.  Then 
all  of  the  pack  came  into  view,  much  to  Jasper 
Grinder's  horror. 


226       ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  They  want  to  eat  me  up ! "  he  groaned,  and 
ran  for  the  nearest  tree,  which  was  close  to  the 
shelter.  "  Oh,  I  must  get  away,  somehow !  " 

He  clutched  at  the  tree  and  began  to  climb  with 
all  possible  speed.  His  gun  lay  close  at  hand, 
but  in  his  haste  he  forgot  to  pick  it  up.  Once  in 
the  tree  he  sat  down  on  a  limb,  a  perfect  picture 
of  misery. 

Seeing  the  man  retreat  the  wolves  at  once 
became  bolder,  and  keeping  a  safe  distance  from 
the  fire,  they  drew  up  in  a  circle  around  the  tree 
upon  which  Jasper  Grinder  rested,  and  from 
which  hung  the  bear  meat.  At  one  point  under 
the  tree  there  was  a  spot  covered  with  bear's 
blood,  and  this  blood  several  of  the  wolves  licked 
up  in  a  manner  to  make  the  former  teacher's  own 
blood  run  cold. 

"  If  they  get  at  me  they'll  chew  me  up,  I  know; 
they  will,"  he  moaned.  "  Oh,  why  did  I  ever 
come  out  in  this  savage  waste ! " 

Sitting  in  a  circle,  the  wolves  lifted  their  heads 
and  howled  dismally.  Two  came  to  the  tree  and 
scratched  the  bark,  as  if  to  attempt  climbing. 

"  Go  away !  Go  away !  "  shrieked  Jasper  Grin- 
lder.  "Scat!  Go  away!" 

The  wolves  left  the  tree-trunk,  but  did  not  go 
away.  Instead  one  after  another  began  to  leap 
up,  trying  to  reach  the  meat  which  hung  so  tempt 
ingly  above  them.  One  or  two  prowled  among 


3ASPER   GRINDER  AND   THE   WOLVES.    227 

the  stores,  tearing  this  and  that,  and  picking  up 
the  scraps  of  the  morning  meal. 

In  this  fashion  half  an  hour  went  by,  and  it  is 
safe  to  state  that  this  was  the  longest  and  most 
trying  half  hour  that  Jasper  Grinder  experienced 
in  his  whole  life.  He  shouted  at  the  wolves  and 
threw  bits  of  sticks  at  them,  but  to  this  they  paid 
no  attention.  Then  he  cried  for  help,  but  the 
Rovers  and  John  Barrow  were  too  far  off  to  hear 
him. 

"  If  I  only  had  the  gun,  I  could  fire  it  as  a 
signal,"  he  said  to  himself.  "Why  did  I  not 
bring  it  up  with  me  ?  " 

He  wondered  if  he  could  pull  the  gun  up  by 
means  of  a  string  he  found  in  his  pocket,  and 
resolved  to  try.  Making  a  loop  in  one  end  of 
the  string  he  lowered  it  with  care,  until  it  rested 
close  to  the  gun,  and  then  he  did  his  best  to  slide 
the  string  along  under  t4ie  barrel.  This  was  com 
paratively  easy,  for  the  barrel  was  tilted  up 
against  a  rock. 

The  wolves  watched  the  manouvering  with  in 
terest,  and  no  sooner  did  the  gun  begin  to  shift 
than  three  leaped  forward,  snarling  angrily.  One 
snapped  at  the  barrel  of  the  piece,  one  at  the  butt, 
and  a  third  at  the  trigger.  An  instant  later  came 
the  report  heard  by  the  Rovers  and  John  Barrow. 

The  shot  was  almost  a  deadly  one,  not  alone  for 
two  of  the  wolves,  but  also  for  Jasper  Grinder, 


228       ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

who  was  not  expecting  the  gun  to  go  off.  The 
piece  was  loaded  with  buckshot,  which  tore 
through  the  sides  of  two  of  the  beasts,  and  then 
passed  upward  into  the  tree-branches,  taking  the 
former  school-teacher  in  the  left  shoulder. 

"  I'm  shot !  "  gasped  Jasper  Grinder,  and  al 
most  fell  from  his  perch.  But  he  managed  to 
save  himself,  and  hung  in  a  crotch,  weak  and  al 
most  helpless,  the  blood  flowing  freely  and  drip 
ping  to  the  ground,  where  the  wolves  licked  it 
up  eagerly.  A  few  had  retreated  at  the  report 
of  the  gun,  but  now  all  came  back,  snarling  and 
yelping  more  wildly  than  ever. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Jasper  Grinder's  posi 
tion  was  truly  unfortunate.  The  loss  of  blood 
was  fast  rendering  him  unconscious,  and  he  was 
in  mortal  terror  of  dropping  down  and  being 
devoured. 

"  Help !  "  he  called  feebly.  "  Help !  For  the 
love  of  Heaven,  help  me!" 

Just  as  his  senses  were  leaving  him  he  heard  a 
distant  cry,  and  looking  in  that  direction,  saw 
John  Barrow  and  Dick  approaching,  followed  by 
Tom  and  Sam. 

"  The  wolves  have  Grinder  treed,"  cried  the 
guide.  "  I'll  give  'em  something  to  remember 
us  by!" 

He  had  a  double-barreled  shotgun,  and  he  let 
drive  twice  in  quick  succession,  firing  into  two 


JASPER  GRINDER  AND   THE  WOLVES.    229 

groups  of  the  beasts,  and  killing  two  and  wound 
ing  several  others.  Then  Dick  fired,  bringing 
down  another.  Tom  and  Sam  also  discharged 
their  pieces,  and  added  three  others  to  the  dead 
or  dying. 

This  slaughter  was  too  much  for  the'remaining 
wolves,  hungry  as  they  were,  and  in  a  twinkle 
they  ran  off  into  the  timber,  howling  dismally. 

"  They  won't  come  back,"  was  John  Barrow's 
comment.  "  They  have  learned  to  respect  us." 
And  he  was  right,  the  wolves  bothered  them  no 
more. 

While  the  guide  was  busy  finishing  the  beast 
which  had  been  too  much  hurt  to  retreat,  the  boys 
turned  their  attention  to  Jasper  Grinder.  They 
saw  he  had  fainted,  and  noticed  the  blood  drip 
ping  from  his  shoulder.  His  body  was  slowly 
leaving  the  tree  crotch  where  it  had  rested. 

"  He's  coming !  Catch  him !  "  cried  Sam,  and 
as  the  unconscious  man  came  down  they  did  what 
they  could  to  break  his  fall.  Fortunately  he 
landed  in  the  deep  snow,  so  the  fall  proved  of 
small  consequence. 

"  He's  shot,  that's  what's  the  matter  with  him," 
said  Dick  after  an  examination.  "  Who  fired  at 
him?  I'm  certain  that  none  of  us  did." 

The  question  could  not  be  answered.  Bringing 
out  a  blanket,  they  placed  Jasper  Grinder  upon  it, 
close  to  the  fire,  and  John  Barrow  made  an  ex- 


230       ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

animation  of  the  wound,  picking  out  a  couple  of 
the  loose  buckshot. 

"  He  was  probably  shot  from  his  own  gun," 
said  the  guide.  "  More  than  likely  he  dropped 
the  piece  from  the  tree,  and  it  went  off  when  it 
struck  the  ground." 

They  bound  up  the  wound  carefully,  and  did  all 
they  could  for  the  sufferer.  Then,  while  Dick 
watched  over  Jasper  Grinder,  the  others  got  rid 
of  the  wolves'  carcasses  by  dragging  them  into 
the  timber,  and  then  set  to  work  to  prepare  the 
midday  meal. 

It  was  fully;an  hour  before  Jasper  Grindei-  was 
able  to  speak,  and  then  he  could  say  but  little. 
But  he  explained  how  it  was  that  he  had  been 
shot.  He  wanted  to  know  if  the  wolves  had  been 
driven  off,  and  begged  that  they  would  not  leave 
him  alone  again. 

"  We'll  stay  by  you,  now  you  are  down,"  said 
Dick  sympathetically.  "  We  are  not  brutes,  even 
though  we  haven't  any  great  love  for  you." 

"  Thank  you ;  I'll  not  forget  your  kindness," 
returned  Jasper  Grinder,  and  for  once  it  must  be 
admitted  that  he  meant  what  he  said. 

The  wounded  man  could  eat  no  solid  food, 
so  they  prepared  for  him  some  broth  made  from 
bear's  meat,  which  was  very  strengthening. 
After  another  examination  John  Barrow  was  of 
the  opinion  that  the  wound  was  not  a  dangerous 


JASPER   GRINDER   AND    THE   WOLVES.    231 

one,  but  that  the  man  would  have  to  keep  quiet 
for  several  days  or  a  week. 

"  We'll  have  to  take  turns  at  watching  him," 
said  Dick.  "  It's  too  bad,  but  I  see  no  other  way 
out  of  it." 

They  drew  lots,  and  it  fell  to  Sam  to  remain 
with  the  patient  during  the  afternoon.  An  hour 
later  Dick,  Tom,  and  the  guide  set  off  to  look 
once  more  for  the  treasure. 

"  Well,  I'm  tired  enough  to  stay  here  and  rest," 
said  Sam.  "That  walking  this  morning  played 
me  out  completely." 

There  was  not  much  to  do,  since  Jasper  Grin 
der  had  brought  in  sufficient  wood  to  last  for  a 
day  or  two.  For  an  hour  Sam  rested  and 
watched  the  former  teacher,  who  had  fallen  into 
a  doze.  Then  the  youngest  Rover  set  to  work  to 
improve  the  shelter,  doing  several  things  which 
the  guide  had  suggested. 

The  youth  was  hard  at  work  patching  up  one 
side  of  the  improvised  hut  when  he  heard  a  move 
ment  in  the  brushwood  not  far  away.  Fearing 
some  wild  animal  he  ran  for  his  gun,  but  ere  he 
could  reach  the  firearm  a  voice  arrested  him. 
1  "  Stop,  Sam  Rover,  stop !  " 

The  voice  was  that  of  Dan  Baxter,  and  an  in 
stant  later  the  bully  came  into  view,  rifle  in  hand, 
and  followed  by  Bill  Harney. 

"  What  do  you  want  here,  Baxter?  "  demanded 


232       ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Sam,  as  cooly  as  he  could,  although  the  situation 
by  no  means  pleased  him. 

"  Are  you  alone  ?  " 

"No." 

"Who  is  with  you?" 

"  What  business  is  that  of  yours?  " 

"  I'm  making  it  my  business." 

"  I  reckon  he's  alone,  right  enough,"  put  in 
Bill  Harney.  "  I  don't  see  anybody  else  around." 

The  big  guide  rushed  forward,  and  knocking 
down  Sam's  gun  placed  his  foot  upon  it. 

"  Give  me  my  gun !  " 

"  Not  so  fast,  my  bantam ! "  cried  the  guide. 
"  Baxter,  reckon  ye  had  better  look  into  the  shack 
and  see  what's  there." 

"The  bully  did  as  requested.  On  seeing  Jas 
per  Grinder,  he  started  back. 

"Grinder!" 

"  Who  calls?  "  asked  the  wounded  man,  and 
opened  his  eyes.  "  So  it  is  you,  Dan  Baxter. 
What  do  you  want?  " 

"  What  did  you  desert  us  for,  Grinder?  " 

"  I  didn't  desert  you.  I  got  lost,  and  they 
found  me,  half  starved  and  frozen.  Now  I  am 
wounded.  Are  you  in  possession  of  this  camp? 
Where  are  the  Rovers?" 

"  Sam  is  here.  'I  don't  know  anything  about 
the  others.  Have  they  found  that  treasure 
yet?  " 


'JASPER  GRINDER  AND   THE   WOLVES.    233 

"  No.  They  went  off  to  look  for  it."  Jasper 
Grinder  tried  to  go  on,  but  fell  back  exhausted 
and  could  say  no  more. 

"  Here's  a  queer  go ! "  muttered  the  former 
bully  of  Putnam  Hall.  "I  suppose  they  shot 
Grinder.  If  they  did,  they  ought  to  suffer  for  it. 
I  guess Hullo,  what's  up  out  there  ?  " 

A  scuffle  outside  of  the  shelter  had  reached  his 
ears.  Bill  Harney  had  been  standing  close  to 
some  firewood,  and  without  warning  Sam  had 
rushed  at  the  big  guide  and  sent  him  sprawling 
backward. 

"  Hi !  stop  him ! "  yelled  the  guide,  as  he 
started  to  struggle  to  his  feet.  But  before  he 
could  get  up,  Sam  had  taken  time  by  the  fore 
lock  and  disappeared  into  the  timber  skirting  the 
pond. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

A     SUCCESSFUL,    SEARCH — CONCLUSION. 

WHEN  Sam  escaped  from  big  Bill  Harney  He 
had  but  one  purpose  in  view,  and  that  was  to 
reach  Dick  and  the  others  just  as  soon  as  possible 
and  acquaint  them  with  the  turn  affairs  had 
taken. 

He  had  a  fairly  good  idea  of  the  direction  the 
others  had  taken,  and  knew  that  their  tracks  in 
the  snow  would  be;  plain  to  follow.  The  main 
thing  at  the  start  was  to  keep  out  of  sight  of  the 
enemy. 

In  doing  this,  he  had  not  only  to  avoid  Harney 
and  Baxter,  but  also  Husty,  providing  that  indi 
vidual  was  anywhere  around,  which  was  probable. 
Consequently,  although  he  traveled  as  fast  as  the 
deep  snow  permitted,  he  kept  a  sharp  lookout  on 
every  side. 

The  youth  soon  circled  the  lower  shore  of  Bear 
Pond,  and  here  found  the  trail  he  was  seeking. 
It  led  directly  to  the  westward,  and  he  followed 
it  up,  almost  on  a  run. 

In  the  meantime  Dick,  Tom,  and  John  Barrow; 

234 


A  SUCCESSFUL  SEARCH.  235 

had  journeyed  to  the  third  outlet  of  the  lake,  the 
stream  which  the  guide  thought  must  be  the 
original  of  Perch  River.  Here,  after  a  good  deal 
of  trouble,  the  party  located  what  looked  like  the 
stump  of  a  tree  once  struck  by  lightning. 

"We've  found  it  at  last!"  cried  Dick.     "l! 
feel  it  in  my  bones  that  we  are  on  the  right 
track!" 

Again  they  measured  off  the  distance  with 
care,  and  now  came  to  a  large  flat  rock,  behind 
which  was  another,  unusually  sharp. 

"  The  flat  rock !  "  muttered  Tom,  and  his  heart 
began  to  thump  wildly.  "  Dick,  you're  right. 
We  are  on  the  right  track.  If  the  treasure  isn't 
here,  it's  been  taken  away." 

They  had  brought  along  a  pick  and  a  crowbar, 
and  now  all  set  to  work  to  clear  away  the  snow, 
and  then  the  dirt  from  around  the  pointed  rock. 
The  ground  was  hard,  and  at  first  they  made  but 
slow  progress. 

"  Perhaps  we'll  have  to  build  a  fire,  to  thaw  out 
the  ground,"  suggested  John  Barrow. 

"  Oh,  that  will  take  too  long,"  said  Tom.  "  I 
wonder  if  we  can't  turn  the  rock  over?  " 

With  the  crowbar  and  the  pick  wedged  against 
the  flat  rock  they  pushed  upon  the  pointed  rock 
"with  all  the  force  at  their  command.  Several 
times  the  tools  slipped,  but  at  last  they  held,  and! 


236       ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

slowly  the  pointed  rock  went  up,  until  with  a  thud 
it  rolled  over  and  several  feet  away. 

"  Hurrah,  a  hole  full  of  small  stones !  "  cried 
Dick,  and  leaped  down  to  pick  the  stones  out. 
Tom  followed,  and  so  did  the  guide. 

"  Dick !  Tom !  Hullo !  hullo !  "  came  the  un 
expected  cry  from  a  short  distance  away. 

"  Who  is  that  calling?  "  demanded  Dick. 

"  It's  Sam,"  replied  the  guide,  looking  up. 
"  He's  coming  here  as  fast  as  he  can  track  it." 

"  Then  something  is  wrong,"  said  Dick,  and 
for  the  moment  the  treasure  was  forgotten. 

It  did  not  take  Sam  long  to  reach  them.  He  was 
so  out  of  breath  that  for  several  minutes  he  was 
unable  to  talk  connectedly.  At  last  he  gasped  out : 

"  Dan  Baxter  and  that  big  guide — they  at 
tacked  me  and  I  ran  away.  They — they  are  in 
possession  of  our  traps." 

"Baxter!"  ejaculated  Dick.  "That's  the 
worst  yet.  They'll  steal  all  our  things  and  leave 
us  to  starve ! " 

"  We  might  as  well  go  right  after  them,"  put 
in  John  Barrow. 

"  Oh,   say,   let's  unearth  this  treasure   first," 
[pleaded  Tom.     "If  we  leave  that,  Baxter  may 
follow  up  our  tracks,  as  Sam  did,  and  take  it 
from  under  our  very  noses." 

"  Tom  is  right — get  the  treasure  first,"  said 
Dick. 

Once  more  they  set  to  work,  Sam  watching 


A  SUCCESSFUL  SEARCH.  237 

them  while  trying  to  get  back  his  breath  and 
strength.  Soon  the  last  of  the  loose  stones  were 
removed  from  the  hole,  and  they  came  upon  a 
thin  metallic  slab  having  in  the  center  a  small 
ring.  They  pulled  the  slab  up  and  disclosed  a 
small  square  opening,  in  the  middle  of  which 
rested  a  metallic  box,  about  a  foot  and  a  half 
square  and  a  foot  in  depth.  The  box  was  so 
heavy  they  could  scarcely  budge  it. 

"The  treasure  at  last!"  came  from  all  of  the 
boys. 

"  Putty  heavy,  no  mistake  about  that,"  M  as 
John  Barrow's  comment  "If  it's  silver  it's 
wuth  considerable ! " 

"  We  must  get  it  out  somehow,"  said  Dick, 
who  was  as  excited  as  anyone.  "Let's  get  the 
crowbar  under  it." 

This  suggestion  was  carried  out,  and  after  a 
good  deal  of  trouble  the  box  was  brought  up  out 
of  the  hole.  Beneath  it  lay  an  iron  key,  which 
fitted  the  rusty  lock  of  the  treasure  casket.  Soon 
they  had  the  box  open,  and  all  gazed  intently 
inside. 

"  Gold  and  silver ! "  shouted  Tom.  "  See,  the 
gold  is  on  top,  and  looks  is  if  it  had  been  put  in 
some  time  after  the  silver.  Wonder  what  the 
stuff  is  worth?  " 

"  Some  thousand  dollars,  that's  sure,"  said 
Dick. 

Now  that  the  treasure  was   found  the  boys 


238       R07ER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

scarcely  knew  what  to  do  with  it.  Then  the 
guide  came  forward  with  a  suggestion. 

"  We'll  hide  it  in  the  snow  for  the  present. 
Then  the  Baxter  crowd  won't  know  where  it  is. 
The  empty  hole  will  throw  'em  off  the  scent." 

A  nearby  place  was  readily  found,  and  into  this 
the  box  was  placed  and  the  snow  was  thrown 
loosely  over  it.  This  accomplished,  they  started 
back  for  the  camp  with  all  possible  speed. 

It  was  a  long  tramp,  and  although  he  did  his 
best  Sam  lagged  behind. 

"  You  go  on,  don't  mind  me,"  said  the  young 
est  Rover.  "  Only  keep  them  from  running  off 
with  our  goods." 

It  was  a  good  half  hour  before  the  camp  was 
reached.  When  they  came  in  sight  of  the  spot 
it  looked  deserted. 

"  We  may  as  well  go  slow,"  cautioned  John 
Barrow.  "  There  may  be  some  sort  of  a  trap 
set  for  us." 

They  advanced  with  their  guns  ready  for  use, 
but  nobody  appeared,  and  presently  they  stood 
close  to  the  camp-fire.  Then  Dick  ran  into  the 
shelter,  to  find  Jasper  Grinder  lying  as  Sam  had 
'left  him. 

"  Mr.  Grinder,  where  is  the  Baxter  crowd  ?  " 
he  asked. 

"  Gone,  half  an  hour  ago,"  replied  the  wounded 
man. 


A  SUCCESSFUL  SEARCH.  239 

"  Where  did  they  go  to  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  They  said  something  about 
following  you  up  and  spying  on  you,  to  see  if  you 
had  found  the  treasure." 

"  Creation !  "  ejaculated  Dick,  and  ran  outside 
again.  "We've  made  a  mess  of  it!"  he  said. 
"  They  followed  us  up,  and  more  than  likely 
they've  got  the  treasure  box  this  minute ! " 

It  was  found  that  but  little  in  the  camp  had 
been  disturbed,  excepting  that  Sam's  gun  had 
been  taken  off.  What  to  do  was  now  the  ques 
tion.  Sam  could  not  walk  further. 

"  Better  stay  here,"  said  Dick.  "  If  the  Bax 
ter  crowd  comes  back,  you  can  hide." 

Then  he,  Tom,  and  John  Barrow  set  out  to 
return  to  where  the  treasure  had  been  left.  They 
were  still  some  distance  away  when  they  dis 
covered  Dan  Baxter,  Bill  Harney,  and  Lemuel 
Husty  making  their  way  along  the  snow-covered 
trail.  In  a  few  minutes  they  came  up  to  the 
party. 

"  Baxter,  where  are  you  bound  ?  "  demanded 
Dick,  striding  up. 

"  You  know  well  enough." 

"  We  are  after  thet  treasure,"  came  from  Har 
ney,  and  it  was  plain  to  see  that  he  and  Husty  had 
been  drinking  heavily. 

"The  treasure  is  ours,  Baxter,  and  you  can't: 
touch  it." 


240       ROVER  BOYS.  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  It  will  belong  to  whoever  finds  it,"  growled 
the  bully. 

"That's  right,"  came  from  Husty.  "Who 
ever  gits  it,  owns  it.  Eh,  Harney?" 

"Plain  truth,  that  is,"  hiccoughed  the  big 
guide. 

"  In  that  case,  it  is  ours  for  sure,"  grinned 
Dick.  "  We  have  it  already." 

At  this  announcement  Dan  Baxter  staggered 
back. 

"  It — it  aint  true ;  you're  joking,"  he  faltered. 

"  It  is  true,  Baxter  Come,  I  will  show  you 
where  the  treasure  was  hidden — if  that  will  do 
you  any  good.  Here  is  the  description."  And 
Dick  brought  it  forth  and  let  the  bully  read  it. 

"  Where's  the  tree  ?  "  demanded  Baxter. 

"  There  is  the  tree,  and  over  yonder  is  the  rock. 
We  turned  it  over  and  found  the  treasure,  just  as 
we  anticipated.  It's  ours,  and  I  am  simply  tell 
ing  you  this  to  save  you  the  trouble  of  looking 
further  for  it.  Dan  Baxter,  you  have  played  this 
game  to  a  finish  with  your  companions,  and  you 
have  lost." 

.  If  ever  there  was  a  disappointed  and  angry 
individual,  it  was  Dan  Baxter.  He  raved  and 
said  all  sorts  of  uncomplimentary  things,  and 
Husty  and  Harney  joined  in,  until  John  Barrow 
told  all  of  them  to  shut  up  or  he  would  have  the 
law  on  them. 


A  SUCCESSFUL  SEARCH.  241 

"  You  Ha'd  no  right  to  make  prisoners  of  Tom 
and  Sam,"  he  said.  "  But  if  you'll  behave  your 
selves,  and  not  bother  us  in  the  future,  we'll  let 
that  pass." 

To  this  Husty,  who  was  a  thorough  sneak,  con 
sented  at  once,  and  then  Bill  Harney  did  the 
same.  Baxter  remained  silent. 

"You've  defeated  me  this  time,"  he  said,  at 
last.  "  But,  remember,  I  am  not  done  with  you." 

A  little  later  Baxter  moved  off,  and  Bill  Har 
ney  and  Lemuel  Husty  went  with  him.  It  was 
the  last  that  the  Rovers  saw  of  their  enemies  for 
a  long  while  to  come. 

A  few  words  more  and  we  will  bring  to  a  close 
this  story  of  the  Rover  boys'  adventures  in  the 
mountains. 

Our  friends  found  it  no  easy  matter  to  get  the 
heavy  treasure  box  safely  to  camp.  In  order  to 
move  it,  they  had  to  construct  a  drag  of  a  tree- 
limb  and  hook  a  rope  to  this,  and  then  it  was  all 
they  could  do  to  move  it  along  through  the  deep 
snow. 

When  they  got  the  box  into  camp  they  lost  no 
time  in  examining  the  treasure.  The  gold  and 
silver  amounted  to  twenty-five  hundred  dollars, 
and  there  were  diamonds  and  other  precious 
(Stones  worth  nearly  as  much  more. 

"About  five  thousand  dollars,  all  told,"  an- 


242       ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

nounced  Dick.  "  That  is  not  such  a  bad  haul, 
after  all." 

As  there  was  now  nothing  more  to  look  for, 
our  friends  spent  ten  days  in  the  camp,  taking  it 
easy  most  of  the  time,  and  spending  a  day  in 
getting  back  the  missing  sled.  They  went  hunt 
ing  twice,  and  the  second  time  out  Dick  got  a  fine 
shot  at  a  deer,  and  brought  down  the  creature 
without  trouble.  Tom  and  Sam  brought  down 
considerable  small  game,  and  all  voted  the  outing 
a  complete  success,  despite  the  interference  occa 
sioned  by  their  enemies. 

At  the  end  of  the  ten  days  Jasper  Grinder  was 
able  to  walk  around,  although  still  weak.  In  the 
meantime  John  Barrow  had  constructed  a  sled 
for  the  former  school-teacher  to  sit  upon,  and  on 
this  he  rode  when  they  started  on  the  return  to 
Timber  Run. 

When  the  settlement  was  gained  the  Laning 
girls,  Mrs.  Barrow,  and  Addie  were  glad  to  see 
them  back,  and  delighted  to  learn  of  the  treasure 
and  its  value.  They  said  they  had  heard  of  Bax 
ter  and  his  followers,  but  that  all  of  the  party 
.  had  left  Timber  Run  for  parts  unknown. 

"  Well,  we  don't  want  to  see  them  again,"  said 
Dick.  "We've  had  quite  enough  of  all  of 
them." 

At  Timber  Run  Jasper  Grinder  left  them,  ancf 
the  Rovers  saw  no  more  of  him  for  many  days. 


A   SUCCESSFUL  SEARCH.  243 

The  home-coming  of  the  Rover  boys  was  a  day 
long  to  be  remembered.  There  was  a  regular 
party  given  at  the  country  home,  at  which  many 
of  their  friends  were  present.  The  Laning  girls 
were  there,  and  also  Dora  Stanhope,  and  Larry, 
Fred,  George,  and  a  host  of  others,  not  forget 
ting  Captain  Putnam  himself,  who  came  upon  a 
special  invitation  sent  by  Mr.  Anderson  Rover. 
Alexander  Pop  waited  upon  the  table  as  usual, 
his  face  beaming  with  pleasure. 

"Jes  tell  yo',  yo'  can't  down  dem  Rober  boys 
nohow,"  said  the  colored  man  to  Captain  Putnam. 
"  Da  is  jes  like  apples  in  a  tub — yo'  shoves  'em 
under,  an'  up  da  pops,  bright  as  eber."  And  the 
owner  of  Putnam  Hall  laughingly  agreed  with 
Alexander. 

"  I  trust  that  you  will  never  be  troubled  by 
Dan  Baxter  again,"  said  Dora  Stanhope  to  Dick, 
after  he  had  told  her  the  story  of  the  treasure 
hunt. 

"  I  trust  so  myself,"  replied  Dick.  "  But  he's 
like  a  bad  cent,  sure  to  turn  up  when  not  wanted." 
Dick  told  the  truth.  How  Dan  Baxter  turned 
up,  and  what  he  did  to  bring  the  Rovers  more 
trouble,  will  be  told  in  another  volume,  to  be  en 
titled,  "  The  Rover  Boys  on  Land  and  Sea ;  or, 
The  Crusoes  of  Seven  Islands,"  a  tale  full  of 
happenings  far  out  of  the  ordinary. 

But  for  the  time  being  troubles  were  of  the 


*44       ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

past,  and  here  let  us  leave  our  friends,  shouting 
as  did  the  pupils  from  the  Hall  when  the  party 
broke  up: 

"  Three  cheers  for  the  Rover  Boys !    Hip,  hip, 
hurrah!" 


THE  FAMOUS  ROVER  BOYS  SERIES 

By  ARTHUR  W.  WINFIELD 

American  Stories  of  American  Boys  and  Girls 
A    MILLION    AND    A    HALF    COPIES    SOLD    OF    THIS    SERIES 
12mo.  CLOTH.         UNIFORM  STYLE  OF  BINDING.          COLORED  WRAPPERS.^ 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL 

Or  The  Cadets  of  Putnam  Hall 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  OCEAN 
Or  A   Chase  for  a   Fortune 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  JUNGLE 

Or  Stirring  Adventures  in  Africa 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  OUT  WEST 
Or  The  Search  for  a  Lost  Mine 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES 

Or  The  Secret  of  the  Island  Cave 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 
Or  A  Hunt  for  Fame  and  Fortune 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  LAND  AND 

Or  The  Crusoes  of  Seven  Island* 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  CAME 
Or  The  Rivals  of  Pine  Island 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  RIVER 

Or  The  Search  for  the  Missing  Houseboat 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  PLAINS 

Or  The  Mystery  of  Red  Rock  Ranch 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  SOUTHERN  WATERS 
Or  The  Deserted  Steam  Yacht 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  FARM 
Or  The  Last  Days  at  Putnam  Hall 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  TREASURE  ISLE 
Or  The  Strange  Cruise  of  the  Steam  Yacht 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 
Or  The  Right  Road  and  the  Wrong 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  DOWN  EAST 

Or  The  Struggle  for  the  Stanhope  Fortune 
THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  AIR 
Or  From  College  Campus  to  the  Clouds 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  NEW  YORK 

Or  Saving  Their  Father's  Honor 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  ALASKA 
Or  Lost  in  the  Fields  of  Ice 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  BUSINESS 
Or  The  Search  for  the  Missing  Bonds 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

Or  Last  Days  at  Brill  College. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  PUBLISHERS,  NEW  Yoafc 


THE  DICK  HAMILTON  SERIES 

By  HOWARD  R.  GARIS _t 

A  Series  That  Has  Become  Very  Popular 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  FORTUNE 

Or   The   Stirring  Doings   of   a  Millionaire's   Son. 

Dick,  the  son  of  a  millionaire,  has  a  fortune  left  to  him  by  his 
mother.  But  before  he  can  touch  the  bulk  of  this  money  it  is  stipulated 
in  his  mother's  will  that  he  must  do  certain  things,  in  order  to  prove 
that  he  is  worthy  of  possessing  such  a  fortune.  The  doings  of  Dick 
and  his  chums  make  the  liveliest  kind  of  reading. 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  CADET  DAYS 
Or  The  Handicap  of  a  Millionaire's  Son. 

The  hero  is  sent  to  a  military  academy  to  make  his  way  without 
the  use  of  money.  Life  at  an  up-to-date  military  academy  is  described, 
with  target  shooting,  broadsword  exercise,  trick  riding,  sham  battles, 
etc.  Dick  proves  himself  a  hero  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word. 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  STEAM  YACHT 
Or  A  Young  Millionaire  and  the  Kidnappers. 

A   series  of  adventures  while  yachting  in   which   our  hero's   wealth 

?lays  a  part.     Dick  is  marooned  on  an  island,  recovers  his  yacht  and 
oils  the  kidnappers. 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  FOOTBALL  TEAM 
Or  A  Young  Millionaire  on  the  Gridiron. 

A  very  interesting  account  of  how  Dick  developed  a  champion 
team  and  of  the  lively  contests  with  other  teams.  There  is  also  related 
a  number  of  thrilling  incidents  in  which  Dick  is  the  central  figure. 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  TOURING  CAR 

Or  A  Young  Millionaire's  Race  for  a  Fortune. 

Dick^s  father  gives  htm  an  automobile  made  to  live  in,  which  ar 
ables  him  and  his  companions  to  have  a  good  time. 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  AIRSHIP 

Or  A  Young  Millionaire  in  the  Clouds. 

Tells  how  Dick  built  an  airship  to  compete  in  a  twenty  thousand 
dollar  prize  contest,  and  of  many  adventures  he  experiences. 

12mo.  Handsomely  printed  and  illustrated,  and  bound  i» 
cloth  stamped  in  colors.  Printed  wrappers. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,        PUBLISHERS,        NEW  YORK 


The    Putnam   Hall  Series 

Companion  Stories  to  the   Famous  Rover  Boys  iSerie* 
By  ARTHUR  M.  WINFIELD 

Open-air  pastimes  have  always  been  popular  with  boys,  a»4 
should  always  be  encouraged.  These  books  mingle  adventure 
and  fact,  and  will  appeal  to  every  manly  boy. 

izmo.    Handsomely  printed  and  illustrated. 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  MYSTERY 
Or  The  School  Chums'  Strange  Discovery 
The  particulars  of  the  mystery  and  the  solution  of  it  are  ver^ 

interesting  reading. 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  ENCAMPMENT 
Or  The  Secret  of  the  Old  Mill 

A  story  full  of  vim  and  vigor,  telling  what  the  cadets  did  during 
the  summer  encampment,  including  a  visit  to  a  mysterious  old 
mill,  said  to  be  haunted.  The  book  has  a  wealth  of  fun  in  it. 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  REBELLION 
Or  The  Rival  Runaways 

The  boys  had  good  reasons  for  running  away  during  Captain 
Putnam's  absence.  They  had  plenty  of  fun,  and  several  queer 
adventures. 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  CHAMPIONS 
Or  Bound  to  Win  Out 

In  this  volume  the  Putnam  Hall  Cadets  show  what  they  can 
do  in  various  keen  rivalries  on  the  athletic  field  and  elsewhere. 
There  is  one  victory  which  leads  to  a  most  unlooked-for  disco  very. 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  CADETS 
4     Or  Good  Times  in  School  and  Out 

The  cadets  are  lively,  flesh-and-blood  fellows,  bound  to  make 
friends  from  the  start.  There  are  some  keen  rivalries,  in  school 
and  out,  and  something  is  told  of  a  remarkable  midnight  feast  and 
a  hazing  that  had  an  unlooked  for  ending. 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  RIVALS 

Or  Fun  and  Sport  Afloat  and  Ashore 

It  is  a  lively,  rattling,  breezy  story  of  school  life  in  this  country 
written  by  one  who  knows  all  about  its  pleasures  and  its  perplexi 
ties,  its  glorious  excitements,  and  its  chilling  disappointments. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP  NEW  YORK 


The  Railroad  Series 

BY  ALLEN  CHAPMAN. 

Ralph  Fairbanks  was  bound  to  become  a  railroad  manj  a£ 
lis  father  had  been  before  him.  Step  by  step  he  worked  his 
&ay  upward,  serving  first  in  the  Roundhouse,  cleaning  loco 
motives;  then  in  tl.e  Svvitch  Tower,  clearing  the  tracks;  then 
/iSrTthe  Engine,  iv  a  fireman;  thea  as  engineer  of  the  Over 
land  Express;  ani  finally  as  Train  Dispatcher. 

In  this  line  of  books  there  is  revealed  the  whole  workings 
of  a  great  American  railroad  system.  There  ate  adventures 
in  abundance — railroad  wrecks,  dashes  through  forest  fires,  the 
pu»suit  of  a  "wildcat"  locomotive,  the  disappearance  of  a 
pay  car  with  a  large  sum  of  money  on  board — but  there  is 
much  more  than  this — the  intense  rivalry  among  railroads  and 
railroad  men,  the  working  out  of  running  schedules,  the  get 
ting  through  "  on  time "  in  spite  of  all  obstacles,  and  thf 
manipulation  of  railroad  securities  by  evil  men  who  wish  tc 
rule  or  ruin. 

Books  that  every  American  boy  ought  to  own. 

RALPH.  THE  TRAIN  DISPATCHER 

Or  The  Mystery  of  the  Pay  Cor. 

RALPH  ON  THE  OVERLAND  EXPRESS 

Or  The  Trials  and  Triumphs  of  a  Young  Engineer. 

RALPH  ON  THE  ENGINE 

Or  The  Young  Fireman  of  the  Limited  Mail. 

RALPH  OF  THE  ROUND  HOUSE 

Or  Bound  to  Become  a  Railroad  Man. 

fcALPH  IN  THE  SWITCH  TOWER 

Or  Clearing  the  Track. 

iztno.    Illustrated.    Handsomely  bound  in  cloth. 


OROSSET  &  DUNLAP,         -          NEW  YOF* 


THE    TOM    SWIFT  SERIES 

By  VICTOR  APPLETON 

12mo.  CLOTH.       UNIFORM  STYLE  OF  BINDIHQ.       COLORED  WRAPPERS, 

These  spirited  tales  convey  in  a  realistic  way  the  wonderful  ad 
vances  in  land  and  sea  locomotion.  Stories  like  these  are  impressed 
upon  the  memory  and  their  reading  is  productive  only  of  good, 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR  CYCLE 
Or  Fun  and  Adventure  on  the  Road 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR  BOAT 

Or  The  Rivals  of  Lake  Carlopa 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

Or  The  Stirring  Cruise  of  the  Red  Cloud 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SUBMARINE  BOAT 
Or  Under  the  Ocean  for  Sunken  Treasure 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RUNABOUT 
Or  The  Speediest  Car  on  the  Road 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 
Or  The  Castaways  of  Earthquake  Island 

TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 
Or  The  Secret  of  Phantom  Mountain 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CAVES  OF,  ICE 

Or  The  Wreck  of  the  Airship 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SKY  RACER 

Or  The  Quickest  Flight  on  Record 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

Or  Daring  Adventures  in  Elephant  Land 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CITY  OF  GOLD 
Or  Marvellous  Adventures  Underground 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIR  GLIDER 

Or  Seeking  the  Platinum  Treasure 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  CAPTIVITY 

Or  A  Daring  Escape  by  Airship 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIZARD  CAMERA 

Or  The  Perils  of  Moving  Picture  Taking 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GREAT  SEARCHLIGHT 

Or  On  the  Border  for  Uncle  Sam 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GIANT  CANNON 

Or  The  Longest  Shots  on  Record 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  PHOTO  TELEPHONE 

Or  The  Picture  that  Saved  a  Fortune 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

Or  The  Naval  Terror  of  the  Seas 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  BIG  TUNNEL 

Or  The  Hidden  City  of  the  Andes 

GROSSET  &  DUNL^P',  PUBLISHERS  NEW  YORK 


12mo.  BOUND  IN  CLOTH.       ILLUSTRATED.        UNIFORM  STYLE  OF  BINDING. 

Moving  pictures  and  photo  plays  are  famous  the  world 
Aver,  and  in  this  line  of  books  the  reader  is  given  a  full 
description  of  how  the  films  are  made — the  scenes  of  little 
dramas,  indoors  and  out,  trick  pictures  to  satisfy  the  curious, 
soul-stirring  pictures  of  city  affairs,  life  in  the  Wild  West, 
among  the  cowboys  and  Indians,  thrilling  rescues  along  the 
seacoast,  the  daring  of  picture  hunters  in  the  jungle  among 
savage  beasts,  and  the  great  risks  run  in  picturing  ^conditions 
in  a  land  of  earthquakes.  The  volumes  teem  with  adven 
tures  and  will  be  found  interesting  from  first  chapter  to  last. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  ' 
Or  Perils  of  a  Great  City  Depicted. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  IN  THE  WEST 
Or  Taking  Scenes  Among  the  Cowboys  and  Indians. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 
Or  Showing  the  Perils  of  the  Deep. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  IN  THE  JUNGLE 
Or  Stirring  Times  Among  the  Wild  Animals. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  IN  EARTHQUAKE 
Or  Working  Amid  Many  Perils.  LAND 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  AND  THE  FLOOD, 
Or   Perilous  Days  on  the  Mississippi. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  AT  PANAMA^ 
Or  Stirring  Adventures  Along  the  Great  Canal. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  UNDER  THE  SEA 
Or  The  Treasure  of  the  Lost  Ship. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,        PUBLISHERS,        NEW  YORK 


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